Bethesda Archives - Page 168 of 262

Montgomery Parks to Modify Open Parkways Schedule on Beach Drive

Published December 7, 2022 at 2:55PM

The entirety of Beach Drive in Montgomery County will remain open to vehicles on Fridays beginning Friday, December 16, 2022. Portions will continue to remain (closed to cars) and open to pedestrians and cyclists on Saturdays and Sundays.

Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is modifying its open parkways schedule to reopen portions of Beach Drive to vehicles on Fridays. Beach Drive will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists (closed to vehicles) on Saturdays and Sundays. The change will go into effect on Friday, December 16, 2022. The modification is being made in response to analysis of traffic data showing a substantial increase in vehicle traffic on neighborhood streets on Fridays.

Arts and Social Justice Fellowship Program Presented by Strathmore and Partner Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Extends 2023 Application Deadline to Monday, Jan. 2

By Patrick Herron

Published December 7, 2022 at 12:02PM

The Arts and Social Justice Fellowship (ASJF), presented by Strathmore with Core Partner Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company,  is looking toward its second year of identifying a next generation of artists with activism. The application deadline for the 2023 program has been extended to Monday, Jan. 2. The program supports youth leadership and vision at the intersection of arts and social change.

The fellowship centers youth leadership, young people’s vision of the future and building community in the face of crisis. It was created in 2021 as part of Strathmore and Woolly’s co-presentation of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon. It is seeking young artists whose activism reflects Butler’s dynamic lineage. More about the program, and the application form, can be found at 2022 Highlights (strathmore.org).

La Catrina Bar & Lounge Announces Updated Opening Date

By MCS Staff

Published December 6, 2022 at 8:21PM | Updated December 9, 2022 at 8:01AM

Back in August we let you know that La Catrina Bar & Lounge is coming to 4935 Cordell Avenue in Bethesda, taking over the location that was formerly home to George’s Chophouse, 4935 Bar & Kitchen, The Loft at 4935, Tragara’s, and others. The has pushed back the opening date a couple times, but has now announced that it will be opening on Friday, December 9th. The dining room will be open at 5pm and the dance floor will open at 10pm, according to the latest social media post by La Catrina (available below).

La Catrina boasts “the true Mexican experience” and “tacos, tequila, and party”, as the space consists of two levels that can be used for dining, dancing, and more, which allows for a different experience from the other recently opened restaurants in Bethesda that offer Mexican cuisine (Chaia, Mexicue, Tacombi). Below is the social media post announcing the opening date:

Make Art or Take Art at the Free Little Art Gallery (Two in MoCo)

By MCS Staff

Published December 6, 2022 at 5:51PM

Per the Takoma Park Newsletter: You can share your artistic talents or find tiny art to take home at Takoma Park’s first Free Little Art Gallery. In a concept similar to little free libraries, the Free Little Art Gallery (FLAG for short), is a large box located next to the bus stop at 7667 Maple Avenue where anyone can donate small pieces of art or take art that they like. The box, which is stocked with art supplies, has two small galleries for displaying artwork, complete with easels and small figures admiring the art. There is also one in Potomac. PotomacFLAG Potomac Can be found on 11819 Smoketree Road, Potomac MD 20854 and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/flag_potomac

The interactive public art project is co-sponsored by the City of Takoma Park’s Arts and Humanities Division and the Operation ARTS Foundation. “We’re very excited about our first Free Little Art Gallery,” said Brendan Smith, the City’s arts and humanities coordinator. “It provides motivation for people of all ages to create artwork and a public space where they can share it. The design of the little art gallery also celebrates our local Ethiopian community.” The little art gallery features paintings of traditional Ethiopian woven reed bowls, burlap sections to highlight Ethiopia’s centuries-old connections to coffee, and a font inspired by the Amharic language.

Squishable, Selling Squishy Stuffed Animals, is Now Open at Montgomery Mall

By MCS Staff

Published December 6, 2022 at 11:11AM

Squishable, a pop-up shop that sells hundreds of varieties of stuffed animals that are “cute giant balls of love that are soft, huggable, cuddly, and all-around awesome,” is now open at Montgomery Mall. It is located in the lower level of the mall near Bath & Body Works. Squishables (photos below) has been creating cuddles for 15 years now, growing from a tiny mom-and-pop shop run out of a living room into the (still pretty tiny) 33-person company it is today. Many of its designs are also crowdsourced from the company’s million-strong group of fans who create and vote on hundreds of new potential Squishables each year. “The world can be a hard place. Hug something soft.”

According to its website, “Squishable was started in 2007 by co-founders Aaron and Zoe. They didn’t know anything about toys, but they figured it out. Over the last decade and a half, we have released millions of Squishables to their new homes in the wild. Here at Squishy HQ in Soho, New York City, we’re creating things that help make the world a cuter place.”

Ricky Alessandro Salon Now Open in Potomac Woods Plaza

By MCS Staff

Published December 5, 2022 at 8:59PM

Ricky Alessandro Salon, which currently has a location within Montgomery Mall, has opened a second location a few miles away at Potomac Woods Plaza (1083 Seven Locks Rd). It’s described as a “full service hair salon, with a trendy environment, where our customers can expect cutting edge and personalized services from our celebrity and creative stylists. We provide our guests with creative haircuts, exclusive hair color concepts, advanced hair extension techniques and offering the best hair care products Kérastase & Shu Uemura.” Services range from free consultations to $325+ for a full balayage.

Per Ricky Alessandro Salon: “Celebrity hair Stylist from rock stars, musicians to real house wives of NYC, Beverly Hills and DC politicians figures. Designer and fragrance creator to hair styling products. It is about delivering the best quality, best ingredients and trends to the market from Europe to the US Capitol , Ricky Alessandro is a life style brand, fun & trendy.”

SoldierFit Closes Bethesda Location; Plans to Consolidate with North Bethesda/Rockville Gym

By Francesca Luca

Published December 5, 2022 at 8:33PM

In a move to consolidate members, staff, resources, etc. SoldierFit has permanently closed its Bethesda location (7920 Norfolk Ave Bethesda, MD 20814) with plans of combining it with its North Bethesda/Rockville location (12241 Nebel St, North Bethesda, MD 20852). SoldierFit Bethesda opened approximately three years ago in Bethesda, while the North Bethesda/Rockville location opened in 2016.

Soldierfit, founded by Army veteran Danny Farrar and Rockville native/Wootton High School alumnus Dave Posin, offers memberships for group classes, access to exercise equipment, personal training and kids’ classes. In 2007, the company started with boot camps in area parks until it leased brick-and-mortar space in 2010 in Gaithersburg. The gym has additional Montgomery County locations in Clarksburg, Gaithersburg, and Silver Spring. Featured photo courtesy of Google Maps.

Detectives Investigate Church Burglary; Video of Suspects Released

By Patrick Herron

Published December 5, 2022 at 1:00PM

At approximately 11 p.m., 2nd District officers responded to the location for the report of a burglary that just occurred. The investigation by detectives has revealed that the suspects forced entry into the church, vandalized property and left the scene. Detectives reviewed the surveillance cameras of the property and obtained video of the suspects.

Kalaii Griffin II (Walter Johnson, Class of 2013) and his Company ShredSkinz Make Shark Tank Appearance (SPOILERS)

By MCS Staff

Published December 5, 2022 at 9:48AM | Updated December 5, 2022 at 4:56PM

Kalaii Griffin II is a 2013 graduate of Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda where he was a two sport letter winner in football and wrestling. He went on to the University of Texas at El Paso, where he played Division I football and earned his B.A. in Communications. Now Griffin is the founder and CEO of ShredSkinz, the world’s first and only single use & recyclable sauna suit, and his company made an appearance on Shark Tank earlier this week (spoilers below). ‘

Kalaii explained that he created his ShredSkinz sauna suits in a way that is convenient for those using them. He has added elastic to the bottom and the wrist area and a draw string on the hood to allow those working out in a ShredSkinz suit to maximize how much they sweat. He goes on to clarify that this is not marketed as a way to lose weight, but rather as a convenient way to maximize workouts by increasing the amount of weight, ideal for cutting weight for a fight, etc. Griffin mentions his success on TIkTok, primarily due to videos of ShredSkinz users showing their sweat fall out of the suit.

Creative Outlets Arts Center Opens in Montgomery Mall

By Patrick Herron

Published December 4, 2022 at 2:21PM

Westfield Montgomery ( 7101 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda) recently gave a retail space on the upper level of the mall to local community non-profit, Creative Outlets Art Center, to further their commitment to connect with the community. Zeina Davis, Marketing Director for Westfield Montgomery tells us, “we are so honored to have such a wonderful community resource in our center. Creative Outlet’s mission of providing art as a wellness tool is a meaningful addition and have already loved working closely with the arts center on engaging and exciting art programming for families.” Creative Outlets has already made a big impact on events and programming including providing complimentary holiday crafting classes through the holiday season at the mall’s pop-up “Jingle Lounge”.

FBI Agent Found Not Guilty in 2020 Metro Shooting That Occurred in Montgomery County

By MCS Staff

Published December 3, 2022 at 1:35PM

FBI agent Eduardo Valdivia has been found not guilty by a jury on Friday after he was charged with attempted murder for an off-duty shooting that occurred on a Metro train in Bethesda on December 15, 2020.

According to Fox 5, “Valdivia was on a Red Line train near the Medical Center station in Bethesda on December 15, 2020 when a man allegedly approached him and asked for money. A confrontation developed after Valdivia said no, and the man reportedly muttered expletives while turning away. A video of the incident, released on Wednesday, shows Valdivia fire and shoot the man from close range. The man stumbles and sits in a seat while a nearby passenger moves away from the area. Both Valdivia and the man exit the train.” The man was taken to Suburban Hospital and survived. The video released, which can be seen below, has no audio.