In a thrilling showcase of grappling prowess, Magruder High School in Derwood played host to the annual Mad Mats Wrestling Tournament this past weekend. Sixteen schools from across the DMV gathered, bringing together some of the most formidable wrestlers in the region.
Per Montgomery Parks: “The Montgomery Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood always is a fascinating place that can quickly take visitors back to a time when agriculture dominated the County’s economy and lifestyle. There will now be an opportunity to learn about those times via candlelight tours on Friday-Saturday, Dec. 15-16. (more…)
Per Montgomery County: “The feeling of celebrating a holiday on a farm will be the theme on Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 2-3, at the annual “Christmas on the Farm” event at the Montgomery Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood. Among the highlights will be the opportunity to see farm animals up close, to visit the park’s tool museum and to enjoy free cookies and cider.
The Agricultural History Farm Park is located at 18400 Muncaster Road in Derwood. The event will be held from noon-5 p.m. each day. Admission and parking will be free.
In February 2023, a petition was submitted to the Montgomery County Board of Education requesting that the Board consider renaming Col. Zadok Magruder High School, based on Col. Magruder being an enslaver (additional information here, per Montgomery History). According to a flyer put out by MCPS, The Board of Education accepted the petition and authorized further community engagement to determine the community interest in renaming the school.
Per the flyer, “The Magruder school community – students, families, staff, and alumni – are invited to participate in community dialogues to discuss the meaning the school name holds for them and how the school name affirms the school’s educational mission and values.” In-person and virtual sessions have already begun, with a list of all of them available (and additional info on the flyer) below:
Per Montgomery County: “The Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center (MCASAC) is holding a fee-waived adoption event for dogs 40 pounds and over through Oct. 31. The “Find Your Boo” adoption event is sponsored by Friends of Montgomery County Animals (FMCA).
The adoption process can be started online by filling out the adoption questionnaire and sending in the required documents. The questionnaire, required documents and more information on the adoption process can be found at https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/animalservices/adoption/howtoadopt.html.
Col. Zadok Magruder High School (5939 Muncaster Mill Road) is hosting this year’s Marching Band Showcase on Saturday, Oct. 21, starting at 1 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Twelve high school bands will be participating: Clarksburg, Damascus, James Hubert Blake, Paint Branch, Seneca Valley, Rockville, Springbrook, Montgomery Blair, John F. Kennedy, Watkins Mill, Albert Einstein and Magruder.
Each band will perform separately on the football field. The grand finale piece will include members of all 12 bands, performing Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” This final performance will be entered into a contest that Metallica is sponsoring for marching bands. This year’s event will kick off with a middle school mass band performing the national anthem.
Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center (MCASAC) will hold a fee-waived adoption event for dogs 40 pounds and over from Oct 15-31. The “Find Your Boo” adoption event is sponsored by Friends of Montgomery County Animals (FMCA).
The shelter’s population of large dogs has increased. If more people do not adopt, the shelter will once more reach critical capacity, as it did over the summer. Adopters are urgently needed for medium and large dogs. If anyone is considering adding a pet to the family, now is the time. Adopting is easy and will be made even easier with no adoption fee during the special event.
Dunkin’ has been making a big push lately in Montgomery County, with new locations at the Layhill Center (14328 Layhill Rd) in Silver Spring and in the Goshen Crossing Shopping Center in Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village, where it has taken over the former Capital One Bank building at 20000 Goshen Rd. Last December, we let you know that Dunkin’ is continuing its massive expansion across the country and within MoCo, and there are currently four locations in the works:
Dunkin’ will be taking over 1,500 SF in the back half of the building that was previously home to Capital One Bank building at 9761 Traville Gateway Drive in Rockville. The location will also have a drive-thru. 1,700 SF on the front side of the building is still available to lease and has also received a facelift since its days as a bank. Crews have been working on both the interior and exterior of the space, with a projected opening timeframe of late 2023/early 2024.
Chase continues its expansion into the DC Metro area, and Montgomery County specifically, with a new branch coming soon to Derwood’s Red Mill Shops. The new branch will be taking over the space previously occupied by Verizon at 7250 Muncaster Mill Rd. Verizon moved about 100 feet away next to the main strip of the shopping center. Chase is also building new branches in Rockville, at the former Meixin supermarket space, and in Gaithersburg at the former Boston Market location.
In 2022, JPMorgan Chase cut the ribbon to its newly renovated regional headquarters, the Bowen Building at 875 15th St. NW at the corner of McPherson Square in Washington D.C. This acquisition “reinforced the firm’s commitment to Washington D.C. and the Greater Washington region” as it is one of the only banks expanding its physical footprint in our area. “This region – stretching from Richmond to Baltimore – is one of the largest economies in the country,” said Peter Scher, JPMorgan Chase Vice Chairman and Chair of the Mid-Atlantic. “With the opening of our Mid-Atlantic headquarters, and our continued philanthropic and business commitments, JPMorgan Chase is supporting the future of Greater Washington. Our hope is to provide more economic opportunity for all people no matter the neighborhoods where they live and work.”
Staff, students, families and the community are welcome to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Outdoor Environmental Education Program from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center, 5110 Meadowside Lane in Rockville. The event will feature:
Vendors are expected to include: Montgomery Parks, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, the Izaak Walton League, Nature Forward, NASA, the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, the MCPS Division of Sustainability and Compliance, Conservation Nation, the Poolesville High School Global Ecology Program, One Montgomery Green, Meadowside Nature Center and the Montgomery County Forestry Board.
Per Montgomery County: The 29th Annual Montgomery Parks Harvest Festival will be a day of fall activities and opportunities to meet farm animals up close. The festival will take place from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Montgomery County Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood.
The park is located at 18400 Muncaster Road in Derwood. The charge for entry will be $20 per car.