Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring just celebrated its 100th anniversary and has long been known for producing some of the region’s most accomplished and influential graduates. From Oscar and Pulitzer winners to bestselling authors, journalists, and actors, the school’s alumni roster features far more than just six well-known names, but these standout former students represent the wide range of talent that has emerged from Blair over the decades:
Every October, The MoCoShow and families across the country revisit Halloweentown, the 1998 Disney Channel Original Movie that has become a Halloween classic. With its whimsical world of witches, goblins, and magic, the film introduced audiences to Marnie Piper, a teenager who discovers her family’s supernatural heritage. What many people may not realize is that the actress behind Marnie, Kimberly J. Brown, grew up right here in Gaithersburg.
Laytonsville’s Katie Killacky, who we first featured in 2022 for her work as an actress and longtime acting coach, is seeing her daughters make waves of their own in Hollywood. Killacky, the founder of Capital Coaching Studio, has taught acting from her home in Montgomery County for nearly a decade. Now, her daughters Maggie and Annabelle are building impressive résumés with appearances across some of television and film’s biggest projects.
Every October, as Halloween approaches and horror fans revisit their favorite scary movies, The Blair Witch Project inevitably makes its way back into the spotlight. The 1999 indie phenomenon not only redefined the horror genre but also has deep ties to Montgomery County, where much of it was filmed.
Each October, we like to revisit one of Montgomery County’s most enduring ghost stories… the haunted reputation of Game Preserve Road in Gaithersburg.
Long before television became a staple in every American home, one of the most groundbreaking broadcasts in U.S. history was sent from right here in Montgomery County. On July 2, 1928, Charles Francis Jenkins, a prolific inventor with more than 400 patents, launched W3XK, the nation’s first licensed commercial television station, from Wheaton, Maryland (Library of Congress; National Museum of American History).
Two members of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad (BCCRS) will be featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show tomorrow, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at 1 p.m. The episode, titled “Never Too Late,” will highlight stories of perseverance and community impact.
CBS’s hit sitcom Ghosts has solidified its place as one of America’s favorite shows, ranking as the 16th most-watched program in the 2024-25 Nielsen ratings with 12.1 million viewers. It was also the 11th most watched network series. While the national success is impressive, the series carries an especially meaningful connection for Montgomery County, as two of its stars are graduates of Rockville’s Thomas S. Wootton High School.
John Cena, one of the most recognizable figures in professional wrestling, will be wrestling his final match in Washington DC on December 13, 2025, when he headlines WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event at Capital One Arena.
With almost half of the population saying that they’d prefer to live in a suburban area, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2025’s Best Small Cities in America, with five areas in Maryland (not all technically cities) listed in the top 8% of the
list. Three of them are in Montgomery County.
One of the most infamous episodes of Bar Rescue took Jon Taffer to Silver Spring, MD, where he confronted the struggling Piratz Tavern, located at 8402 Georgia Avenue. The pirate-themed bar sat in a prime downtown spot surrounded by office buildings, but its gimmick-heavy atmosphere, inconsistent service, and unprofessional staff alienated the very customers who might have kept it afloat. (more…)