On Thursday, August 31st, Montgomery Goes Purple will host its annual Resource Fair starting at 5pm at Memorial Plaza (101 Monroe St. Rockville, MD). The Kick-Off Event begins at 6:30 and will include food trucks and more. At 7:30pm a candlelight ceremony vigil will be held. Per the City of Rockville: The opioid crisis is a national public health emergency. Rockville Goes Purple is an awareness campaign alongside our county and state partners that seeks to shine the spotlight on the impact of opioid addiction and educate our community about the epidemic. In 2018, the Mayor and Council formally joined other state and local jurisdictions to take legal action against drug manufacturers and distributors for their role in the nationwide opioid crisis.

According to the Maryland Department of Health Data-Informed Overdose Risk Mitigation 2021 Annual Report, in 2020, there were 2,799 overdose-related fatalities, the highest annual total in the State of Maryland’s history to date. Additionally, there continues to be a growing disparity in overdose-related deaths in the Black community. Between 2016 and 2020, overdose deaths among non-Hispanic Black Marylanders rose by 64.5% as compared to deaths in the non-Hispanic white community, which increased by 15.3% over the same period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that deaths from drug overdoses reached 107,622 nationwide in 2021, an increase of nearly 15% from the 93,655 deaths estimated in 2020, and 108,500 in 2022, “a staggering record that reflects the crisis and the continued spread of the synthetic opioid fentanyl in the illegal narcotic supply,” the proclamation states.


The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair returns this Friday, August 11th and will run through Saturday, August 19th. This will be the 74th annual fair and it’s third year back after having to cancel for the first time in its 70+ year history in 2020 due to Covid restrictions. Discount days at the fair include “Family Days” on Monday, Aug. 14, and Wednesday, Aug. 16, with $25 all-day rides, “Senior Day” on Tuesday, Aug. 15, that includes free admission to seniors 62+ until 5pm, and “Military Day” on Thursday, Aug. 17, which allows for free admission for active military in uniform or with a valid military ID through 5pm.

Make sure to join us opening night for the Fifth Annual Fair Foodie Awards, which will take place at 6pm at the seating tent across from the souvenir booth. Guest judges will include Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones and MoCoShow founder “Mr. MoCo” Alex Tsironis.  Last year’s Foodie winners included Cajun Chicken on a Stick and Cotton Candy Lemonade.


Starting October 7th, Titanic: The Exhibition will be in the DMV as it comes to 151 St George Blvd, Oxon Hill, MD 20745 at National Harbor. The visit, which takes approximately 80-90 minutes, will include an audio guide who will take you on a narrative experience describing the events on that fateful day in 1912. Visitors will be able to unravel the true story of the ship through personal belongings, photographs and other relics and walk through a recreation of the ship’s interior—from a first-class suite to a humble third-class cabin.

“The Exhibition is far more than a display of historic items: it is a unique narrative experience, a tale of the people aboard history’s most legendary ship on its maiden and final journey. Travel back to 1912 through photographs, handwritten letters, wayward keepsakes, and other personal belongings telling countless stories about the fates and heroic deeds on board.”


Everyone makes mistakes, and the Museum of Failure is here to celebrate that! The Museum of Failure brings together over 159 products and services that were a total flop but also paved the way for other great inventions. Failure is the mother of success, after all! It showcases a collection of failed products and services from around the world. The museum arrives on September 7th and goes through the month on Wednesdays-Sundays from 10am-7pm at Georgetown Park (3270 M Street NW, Washington D.C., 20007). Tickets start at $25.

Every item provides unique insight into the risky business of innovation—and, let’s face it, the majority of innovation projects fail at some point. But that’s okay because embracing failure and taking meaningful risks paves the way for real innovation and progress. After all, as Confucius once said: “our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail.”


The 30th annual Oktoberfest returns to transform the Kentlands in Gaithersburg, with multiple stages of live entertainment featuring traditional Bavarian music & dancing, along with local, regional & national talent. the event will take place on Sunday, October 8th from 12pm-5pm.

Fall-themed activities for families, a Business Expo, artisans, beer, mead & cider, and delicious food will delight attendees throughout the day. In past years this event has drawn crowds of up to 30,000. Admission, shuttles & parking are free to the public. We’ll have an update with more details as the event draws nearer.


UPDATE: THE PARADE HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO CONCERNS OF EXCESSIVE HEAT

The City & the Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Fire Department celebrate the unofficial end of summer with the 85th Annual Labor Day Parade on Monday, September 4, 2023, at 1 p.m. The parade features an assortment of high school marching bands, dance groups, costumed characters, antique cars & fire engines, equestrian units, clowns, and more, all winding their way down East Diamond & Russell Avenues. Note that participation in the Labor Day Parade by groups or organizations other than City of Gaithersburg officials, departments or committees does not constitute City of Gaithersburg endorsement. Food vendors will be located at Olde Towne Plaza and the parking lot next to the Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Fire Station.


Rocktobierfest is set to return to Rockville after last year’s cancellation. The event will take place on Saturday, September 30, 2023, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and features two stages of entertainment, including German and rock music. Guests can also enjoy beverages for sale by local breweries and participants, food, and an artisan shopping area. This annual event attracts nearly 10,000 people to Rockville Town Center.

Local artisans and breweries are invited to apply to participate as a vendor for Rocktobierfest. Click on the appropriate application below to download the rules and application for this year’s festival. Applications are due by Friday, August 11, 2023. Additional information and applications can be found here.


The 31st annual Taste of Bethesda is scheduled for Saturday, October 7th from 11am – 4pm, and will feature Bethesda’s best restaurants, five stages of live entertainment, an activity area for kids and more.

Admission to the Taste of Bethesda is free. Taste tickets are sold on-site in bundles of four tickets for $5. Food servings cost one to four tickets. Restaurants serve delectable dishes from 11am-4pm. Ticket sales end at 3:30pm. The event is held along Norfolk, St. Elmo, Cordell, Del Ray and Auburn Avenues in Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle. Taste of Bethesda is located just three blocks from the Bethesda Metro. Participating restaurants and entertainment schedule can be seen below:


The convention was first held in 2008 at Tysons Corner, Virginia by Todd Webb, and in subsequent years, the flagship Virginia convention has been held in Chantilly, typically during the first weekend of August. BrickFair is a four-day event, operating generally Thursday through Sunday. The convention displays Lego models, displays and trains, most often covering more than 100,000 square feet of convention space. BrickFair conventions are also held in New England and the Southeastern United States, with the advent of BrickFair Alabama in 2012 and BrickFair New England in 2013. BrickFair operates in every season and in four East Coast states. BrickFair is believed to be the largest Lego convention in the United States and one of the largest in the world. The Virginia convention has had up to 22,500 attendees in its public hours.

The first BrickFair convention, in 2008, was held as a four-day convention at the Sheraton Premiere Hotel near Tysons Corner in Vienna, Virginia. The location was partially chosen because it was the 2006 site of BrickFest, a now-defunct Lego convention. In 2010, BrickFair was moved to the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, VA to make room for further expansion of the event. The Virginia convention of BrickFair is still held annually at the Dulles Expo Center. Additional information can be found here.


Metro will “Hold Up” the final train departing from Morgan Boulevard Station on Sunday night to give the #BeyHive a “Flawless” ride to and from FedEx Field. 

The last Silver Line train toward Ashburn on Sunday night will now depart Morgan Boulevard at 12:04 a.m. instead of 11:34 p.m., allowing concertgoers enough time to walk from the stadium to the station. Metro will make late trains available at transfer stations so customers aboard the final Silver Line train can rely on Metro to get them to their destinations on all lines. All customers in line at Morgan Boulevard at 12:04 a.m. will be accommodated.


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