Gaithersburg

Downtown Crown: What’s Closed and What’s Coming Soon

By MCS Staff

Downtown Crown, the restaurant and retail portion of Gaithersburg’s Crown neighborhood opened in 2014 with Harris Teeter as an anchor and restaurants including Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Coastal Flats, Paladar Latin Kitchen, La Madeleine Country French Café, and more. Though the places listed are all still open, there have been some changes in the area the last nine years or so. Below, we’ll go over a few recent closures, some vacancies, and a pretty big “coming soon.”

BurgerIM, an Israeli burger chain, closed permanently earlier this year after about three and a half years at 200 Ellington Blvd. Doki Toki, an Asian bakery and dessert shop that took over for Mango Mango in May 2022, closed early this past summer after just over a year at 202 Ellington Blvd. Old Town Pour House, one of the original Downtown Crown tenants, closed last month at 212 Ellington Blvd after 8.5 years.

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Germantown Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Attempted Murder in Gaithersburg Shooting, Per State’s Attorney

By Patrick Herron

According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “In the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Christopher Fogleman has sentenced defendant, Marvin Frazier, 24, of Germantown to 40 years in prison suspend all but 25 to serve and five years of supervised probation upon release. Frazier was convicted by a jury in April of 2023 on charges including attempted first-degree murder, two counts each of first-degree assault and use of a handgun in a crime of violence, and illegal possession of a handgun. The sentencing hearing took place on Thursday, November 2nd, 2023.

This stems from an incident at a music studio along Montgomery Village Avenue in Gaithersburg on August 8th, 2020. Frazier shot a 19-year-old male, causing him to become paralyzed from the waist down. He also pistol-whipped a 20-year-old male. The defendant and victims are associated with rival gangs. The defendant fled but was apprehended in 2022.

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Did You Know The Bronze Statues at Rio Have a Story Behind Them That Encourages a Hunt For Missing Objects?

By MCS Staff

The two bronze statues of a cat and a bear have been a fixture at Gaithersburg’s Rio Lakefront for years, but did you know that they have a name and a story behind them? The whimsical sculptures of Fridolin, the bronze bear, and Kimo, a human size bronze cat, encourages a “hunt for missing objects.”

The bronze animals hold open books that tell a story about their character and that describe six lost items — a pocket watch, hat, suitcase, beehive, Dutch shoes and a bag of popcorn with a bird eating from the bag. See if you can find them all! Read their stories below:

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Gaithersburg to Host its 97th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony and “Jingle Jubilee”

By MCS Staff

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.

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Rio to Host its Holiday Makers Market on November 11 and 12

By MCS Staff

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:

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Open Houses on the Future of the Interstate 495/270 Corridor and American Legion Bridge Begin November 13

By MCS Staff

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 Coming to Kentlands

By Patrick Herron

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.

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Police and Family Searching for Missing 13-Year-Old

By Patrick Herron

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).

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MCPS Students Spend the Day Beautifying the Community

By MCS Staff

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. 

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