The City of Gaithersburg will host its 97th annual tree lighting ceremony and “Jungle Jubilee” festivities on Saturday, December 2, 2023 from 6pm- 8pm at the Concert Pavilion in Olde Towne Gaithersburg (32 South Summit Ave).

Per Gaithersburg: Celebrate diverse & vibrant holiday traditions at Gaithersburg’s Jingle Jubilee. Enjoy an evening of music, dance & song. Enjoy an evening of music, dance, and song. This year marks the 97th anniversary of the tree lighting ceremony. The festivities take place at the Concert Pavilion in Olde Towne. Admission is free. The outdoor venue features lawn seating with limited chairs. Please feel free to bring your own chair to enjoy the entertainment.


Rio will be hosting its Holiday Makers Market on Saturday, November 11th and Sunday, November 12th from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm. “Join us as we kick off the holiday shopping season with a two-day Holiday Makers Market with Locally Crafted on Grand Corner Avenue!”:

A list of artisans participating on each day can be seen in the images below:


The Maryland Department of Transportation will host a series of open houses, including one in Rockville, to engage the public about improvements to the Interstate 495/270 corridor from the American Legion Bridge to Frederick.

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Carmen’s Italian Ice is partnering with the owners of Kung Fu Tea at 130 Market St in Gaithersburg to open a new location. Carmen’s will be sharing the space with Kung Fu Tea, taking over the portion that is currently occupied by Tutti Frutti. According to Carmen’s, it will initially offer 3-4 flavors of custard, 6-8 flavors of Italian ice, milkshakes, and more. The plan is to open in about two weeks. Earlier this year Carmen’s partnered with the Clarksburg Market at 23329 Frederick Rd to open a similar concept in Clarksburg.

About Carmen’s: It started with a simple idea. Introduce homemade gourmet Italian Ice to the Washington DC area. Jason Mandler – a native of Parsippany, New Jersey – opened Carmen’s Italian Ice & Cafe in Rockville, MD in 2001. Tracing its roots back to Philly and South Jersey where this dessert has been a mainstay for years, Carmen’s offers homemade, gourmet Italian Ice in over 60 flavors. It also now offers frozen custard, shakes, and a toppings bar.


The Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Ashley Portillo Rivera, a missing 13-year-old from Gaithersburg. Rivera was last seen on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, at approximately 9:30 p.m., in the 182000 block of Lost Knife Rd. She is 5’5″, 125 lbs., with brown eyes and black hair.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Ashley Portillo Rivera is asked to call Montgomery County Police Non-Emergency (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line).


Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), in partnership with the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) hosted a Student Environment Volunteer Day on Wednesday, Nov. 1, at Gaithersburg High School. Students learned about sustainability and helped beautify the community. They also worked to enhance the health of the environment by planting native plants and trees in the stormwater management gardens around the school.

The student environment volunteer day is part of the Out-of-School Time (OST) program offered by Montgomery County Recreation, in partnership with MCPS. The OST days are designed with free out-of-school programming for students throughout the 2023-2024 school year. 


Per Montgomery County: “The newly-established Airpark Community Advisory Committee (ACAC) is now accepting applications to serve. The ACAC, established earlier this year after the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed Bill 24-23, will serve as a forum for neighbors of the Montgomery County Airpark (MCA), airpark users and other key stakeholders to address facility operations as well as noise and safety impacts.

The MCA, a public general aviation airport in Gaithersburg, is home to approximately 67,195 flight operations each year. In 2019, the MCA partnered with the Federal Aviation Administration to set up an online portal for residents to submit aircraft noise complaints, similar to what’s offered in other communities near airports. In 2019, there were 27 complaints, in 2020 there were 191 complaints made from 11 unique households, and in 2021 there were 2,835 complaints made from 35 unique households, according to a 2022 report from the Council’s Office of Legislative Oversight.


Trip Advisor is a popular American online travel company that offers ratings of restaurants primarily from those who have traveled to the area, rather than locals. If you’re interested in seeing the opinions of those who have traveled to the area, you’re in luck, as today we’ll be sharing the top 10 restaurants according to Trip Advisor as of October 31, 2023.

10. Copper Canyon (928 Ellsworth Dr, Silver Spring): With a 4 out of 5 rating after 471 reviews, Copper Canyon’s Silver Spring location comes in at #10 overall in the county and #2 in Silver Spring. The restaurant has an additional MoCo location at Gaithersburg’s Rio.


Update: The opening has been delayed. New timeframe TBD

The City of Gaithersburg is in the process of developing a 9.54-acre park at 10901 Darnestown Rd. with parking, community gardens, a bicycle skills course (pump track), open space, pavilions, a playground, fitness pods, and a welcome plaza. Originally scheduled to be completed February 2023, there have been some delays. We spoke with City of Gaithersburg project engineer Sunil Prithviraj, who told us that substantial completion is tentatively expected by the third week of November. Currently, crews are preparing to lay asphalt at the entrance of the park and after some finishing touches, the park could be ready to open for the public in December. A video update can be seen below.


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