Ashton

41st Annual Strawberry Festival to Take Place in June

By MCS Staff

Another year, another Strawberry Festival! The 41st annual festival will take place at the Sandy Spring Museum (17901 Bentley Road) on June 3 and 4. “You might not think it’s possible but this year’s festival is going to be more fun than ever!  That’s because it’s the 41st year and there are at least 41 great things to look forward to.”

What’s the Strawberry Festival?  It’s a giant block party, picnic, neighborhood gathering, and community celebration all rolled into two days of outdoor, family-friendly fun.  Live music from two stages, kids’ games, petting zoo, pony rides, food trucks, crafts sale, the world’s greatest strawberry shortcake and many more activities. You can even eat crickets (video below)!

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Gaithersburg

City of Gaithersburg Accepting Applications For W. Edward Bohrer Memorial CHARACTER COUNTS! Scholarship Program

By MCS Staff

Scholarships are awarded each spring to deserving high school seniors based on the embodiment of the Six Pillars of Character, personal merit, financial need, and the student’s commitment to further education. Since the program’s inception in 1998, 95 students have received more than $170,000 to help with their continuing education costs.

Former Gaithersburg Mayor Ed Bohrer was enthusiastic about CHARACTER COUNTS! Representing the City, he joined staff in advocating for the program and sharing Gaithersburg’s experiences with other communities in Maryland. Sadly, Mayor Bohrer passed away in office in 1998. In tribute to his commitment to character education, the W. Edward Bohrer, Jr. Memorial CHARACTER COUNTS! Scholarship Program was established with the support of his family that year. The scholarships are awarded at the discretion of the City’s Educational Enrichment Committee.

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Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg’s Walnut Hill Shopping Center Negotiating a Lease With a New Grocer

By MCS Staff

The Walnut Hill shopping center in Gaithersburg (16529 S Frederick Ave) is “at lease” with a new grocer to take over the 21,000 SF spot that has previously  been home to Weis, Bottom Dollar, and Food Lion. We will let you know as soon as the lease is fully-negotiated between the grocer and soon-to-be renovated shopping center.

Additionally, the shopping center is negotiating with a pad site that will be built in the parking lot close to 355 on the south side of the shopping center, in front of New Fortune and H&R Block. While there is no confirmation on who the grocer and new pad site will be, there has been speculation that it will be Aldi and the city of Gaithersburg’s (and Montgomery County’s) second Sheetz location, according to The MoCo Source (see posts below). Featured photo courtesy of klnb.

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Sponsored

Montgomery County showcases its unique ecosystem at World Vaccine Congress 2026

By Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation
AstraZeneca's Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility in Rockville, Montgomery County. Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Government.
AstraZeneca's Cell Therapy Manufacturing Facility in Rockville, Montgomery County. Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Government.

Montgomery County, MD is commonly known as being a suburb of the nation’s capital, but what might surprise some is that it is also home to a thriving biotech ecosystem. With over 350 life sciences companies, including global brands like AstraZeneca, United Therapeutics, and Novavax, Montgomery County anchors the third largest biophama hub in the U.S., behind only Boston and San Francisco.

Running annually in Washington D.C. for over 25 years, World Vaccine Congress attracts an international audience from over 80 countries and convenes more than 3,000 people to learn about the latest trends, research, and technologies in the vaccine industry. This year, Montgomery County took center stage, with a featured session on the extensive Biologics Value Chain in the County, as well as a session during which County Executive Marc Elrich spoke about the extensive resources available to companies here, and an exhibit space showcasing these resources.

A Complete Biologics Value Chain in One Region

One of the defining strengths of Montgomery County is its ability to support the full lifecycle of biologics, all the way from early research to large-scale manufacturing. During the panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Stefanie Trop, Director of Life Sciences at the Maryland Department of Commerce, local leaders emphasized that the region’s strength lies in its network of partners who work collaboratively across discovery, development, testing, and production. Panelists from companies in all stages of the value chain spectrum included Dr. Andrew Lees, Founder of Fina Biosolutions, Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies at AstraZeneca, Dr. Helen Sabzevari President & CEO of Precigen, and Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer of Integrated BioTherapeutics.

This end-to-end capability in close geographical proximity gives companies a unique advantage and is rare to find in other markets, even established ones like San Francisco and Boston. In fact, only a handful of places worldwide offer the combination of infrastructure, expertise, and collaboration found in Montgomery County and if diversity, education and population density are taken into consideration – then Montgomery County standouts even more.

“Gaithersburg is one of the six places in the world where we can do what we’re doing,” explained Benjamin Moutier, Senior Vice-President, Vaccines and Immune Therapies, AstraZeneca. “We have the right partners at every step of the value chain [in Montgomery County].”

A Strong Partnership Network

Biotech breakthroughs rarely happen in isolation. They depend on strong partnerships between private companies, local and state governments, academic institutions, and workforce training organizations. Montgomery County has intentionally cultivated these connections, making collaboration and coordination defining characteristics of its life sciences ecosystem.

Dr. Frederick Holtsberg, Chief Scientific Officer at IBT Bioservices, a full service CRO offering clinical & preclinical contract research services, says the company’s close partnerships between them and local stakeholders have been crucial to its success. “As a Rockville-based company, we’re grateful for the partnership and support from city, County, and state leaders,” explained Dr. Holtsberg. “These programs have helped fuel our growth, and we’re excited about the continued momentum of our community.” (more…)

Health

Maryland Department of Health Urges Marylanders to Take Action to Reduce Asthma Triggers During Asthma Awareness Month

By Patrick Herron

Per the Maryland Department of Health: Following Governor Wes Moore’s proclamation of May as Asthma Awareness Month, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) is urging Marylanders to have an Asthma Action Plan, monitor air quality, and reduce asthma triggers in the home and at school and work.

Asthma is a serious, common, and chronic lung disease that causes difficulty breathing and affects about one in 13 people, and in 2018 resulted in more than 29,000 asthma-related emergency department visits in Maryland. The state health department is working closely with its partners to continue sharing critical information and resources on this issue.

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Event

Closing Reception at “Inspired!” Art Show & Sales

BlackRock Center for the Arts

12901 Town Commons Drive

Germantown, Maryland 20874

Website Contact Social

Beautiful venue; great art, gifts and hand-crafted items; refreshments; and meet the award-winning painters, photographers, mixed media artists, ceramicists, fiber artists, and more – some 40 artists in all. It’s an extraordinary array of framed wall works, 3-d media including sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, and fiber pieces, and unframed prints.

Among them, you’ll see:

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Gaithersburg

Update on Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen in Rio

By Patrick Herron

Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen at 229 Boardwalk Pl. in Gaithersburg has announced it will open in two weeks. The restaurant posted the following message on its Instagram page on May 16: “We are excited and proud to announce that we are two weeks away from opening. Join our constantly growing team. Please send all resumes to the email address above. We will be accepting in-person interviews starting next week. Be a part of the Miskiri Hospitality Group and join our 7th location!”

The restaurant is part of Jeffeary Miskiri’s Miskiri Hospitality Group, which describes itself as a unique collective of Black, family and woman-owned products and restaurants in the DC area. Miss Toya’s will be located in the 2,741SF space that was previously occupied by BGR and serve southern-influenced dishes such as red beans and rice, macaroni and cheese, and a southern fried chicken sandwich. . Miss Toya’s Southern Kitchen in Rio will be a fast-casual restaurant, while the Miss Toya’s Creole Kitchen at 923 Ellsworth Dr in Downtown Silver Spring is full-service (wait staff, etc.) We will post an update when the opening date is announced. Featured image courtesy of Google Maps. 

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Crime

Police Apprehend Suspect Who Sexually Assaulted and Robbed Woman on Tuesday Afternoon

By MCS Staff

Per Montgomery County Police: At approximately 2:54 pm on Tuesday afternoon, Montgomery County Police officers responded to the location for the report of an armed robbery and sexual assault of a woman that occurred on the Northwest Branch Trail in the 10700 block of Columbia Pike in Silver Spring.

The preliminary investigation has revealed that an adult male approached an adult female in the Northwest Brach Trail, displayed a weapon, sexually assaulted her, and stole her property. The male then left the scene.   

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Business

Hampshire Tower Apartments Secure $370K Loan to Install 159 kW Solar Array

By MCS Staff

Hampshire Tower Apartments, a 216-unit affordable high-rise multifamily building located in Takoma Park, has secured a $370,000 Small Business Energy Savings Support (“SBESS”) loan by the Montgomery County Green Bank and City First Enterprises. “Hampshire Tower Apartments is making significant improvements to its energy footprint, and solar is one of the measures it is using to get there.”

The 159 kw solar array, installed by Solar Energy Services, will offset approximately $25,000 in energy costs per year and generate an additional $5,000 in SREC revenue for Hampshire Tower Apartments. Not only will the solar PV system mitigate 130 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, it will also produce a positive net cash flow for the property that will help maintain the affordability of energy costs of residents for years to come.

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Business

Montgomery County Green Bank Appoints Stephen Morel as New Chief Executive Officer

By MCS Staff

The Montgomery County Green Bank (Green Bank) announced that Stephen Morel has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer. Stephen Morel, who has been serving as the Green Bank’s Chief Investment Officer since 2019, will succeed Tom Deyo, the Green Bank’s inaugural Chief Executive Officer. Deyo announced his resignation as the Green Bank’s CEO in March and will serve as the interim Chief Operations Officer until July 1, 2023.

Per the press release: Morel has a professional background in entrepreneurial leadership as well as in corporate and project finance, with a particular interest in public-private institutions and catalyzing investment into high impact sectors. Morel brings his proven skills in business management and investment structuring to the Montgomery County Green Bank with the intent to more rapidly make clean energy and climate-resilient solutions accessible to and affordable for all in Montgomery County. “Steve has a record of strong leadership as the Montgomery County Green Bank’s previous Chief Investment Officer and in his preceding roles,” says Bonnie Norman, Montgomery County Green Bank Board Chair. “His unique investment background combined with his commitment to the Green Bank’s mission makes Steve ideally suited for our ambitious next chapter of scale, scope and impact.”

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Crime

Two Wanted Following Pursuit That Ended in D.C. After Robbery Suspects Crash Stolen Vehicle

By MCS Staff

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are looking for two suspects involved in a robbery and vehicle pursuit that ended in Washington, DC. On Tuesday, May 16, at approximately 3:15 a.m., two Black male suspects entered the Dash-In Gas Station, in the 11100 block of New Hampshire Avenue. One of the suspects implied that he had a gun and demanded money from the cash register. The store employee complied and opened the register. The suspects left with an undisclosed amount of money and cigarettes.

The suspects drove off in a white Hyundai Santa Fe, which was reported stolen out of Arlington, VA. 3rd District officers located the Hyundai in the area of New Hampshire Avenue and Northampton Drive. The suspects drove away, and a pursuit was initiated, with the suspects driving into DC, where the vehicle crashed near New Hampshire and Longfellow. A female passenger was trapped inside of the Hyundai and extricated by DC Fire Rescue. The two male suspects managed to get out of the vehicle and run away. The female passenger was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No police officers or bystanders were injured during the pursuit. This is an active and ongoing investigation.

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