Spirit Halloween is now open at 30 Grand Corner Ave. in Gaithersburg’s Rio. This will be the only Montgomery County Spirit location for 2023. The planned locations at 12940 Middlebrook Rd. (formerly Bed Bath & Beyond) in Germantown and 2210 Veirs Mill Rd., (formerly CVS) in Rockville will not be opening, according to a representative from the company.

New at Spirit this year will be a buy online/pickup in-store option, as well as delivery through DoorDash. A sneak peak of the Rio location can be seen below. During the Halloween season, Spirit operates over 1,400 stores in North America. The Spirit Halloween website is open year-round, offering its in-store products online. The store usually open 30-60 days prior to Halloween.


Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for a collision involving three vehicles at approximately 6am at W. Diamond Ave and Bureau Dr. at the NIST entrance on Tuesday morning.

According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, three patients were evaluated. All three sustained non-life threatening injuries. Some lanes were blocked due to the crash with residual delays. The crash is under investigation.


Earlier this year, IKEA announced plans to open new format IKEA stores in Fairfax, Virginia, and Gaithersburg, Maryland, in fall 2023.  Signage is now up at the Gaithersburg location located at 101 Boardwalk Place Ste 102- the former home of Charming Charlie (photos below). This new customer meeting point, called a Plan & order point with Pick-up, will  include home furnishing inspiration and personalized interior design planning, with the addition of an IKEA Pick-up point, allowing customers to pick up their purchases made online or purchased at either Plan & order point location. Purchases made at IKEA Fairfax and Gaithersburg can also be arranged to be conveniently transported to a customer’s home or to another convenient point of delivery.

“We’re excited to offer a new IKEA experience to our DC metro area customers with convenience in mind. Whether you’re looking for inspiration, need help from an IKEA design specialist or simply want to pick up a piece of furniture that you purchased online, the IKEA Fairfax and Gaithersburg Plan & order point with Pick-up are even more accessible and meet our customers where they are and how they like to shop,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA U.S.


Hangry Joe’s is now open in the Montgomery Village Shopping Center.  The Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant is located adjacent to the Starbuck’s at 19290 Montgomery Village Ave.  Hangry Joe’s in know for its hot chicken sandwiches, known as the “Chicken Sando”, and allows guests to choose the spice level of the fried chicken (Plain<Mild<Medium<Hot<Angry Hot). The menu also consists of chicken fingers, chicken & waffles, wraps, nuggets, loaded fries, and salads. Sides include cider slaw, waffle fries, and fried okra.

Hangry Joe’s has additional Montgomery County locations in Wheaton (2533 Ennals Ave) and Rockville (718-B Rockville Pike and 10050 Darnestown Rd.)


Boston Market closed its Gaithersburg location back in April and the Aspen Hill location is now the chain’s only remaining MoCo location. A new tenant has signed on to take over the space vacated in Gaithersburg Square as JP Morgan Chase will be moving in shortly.

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.


The City of Gaithersburg is collecting classroom supplies including Sharpies, Post-Its, decor & more to distribute to local teachers. Donations can be dropped off at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park now through October 19. Additional information available in the flyer below:


Dogfish Head Alehouse has announced it will be closing its Fairfax location later this year, according to a post on its social media. The restaurant, which will only have its Gaithersburg location left (800 W Diamond Ave), has decided not to renew its lease at the Greenbrier Town Center in Fairfax (13041 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway).

Dogfish Head Alehouse, which is owned and operated independent from the Dogfish Head brewery in Milton, DE through a licensing agreement, recently closed its Falls Church, VA location at 6220 Leesburg Pike in the Seven Corners Shopping Center. The Gaithersburg location will remain open. The message left on social media can be seen below:


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.

10. Silver Diner (12276 Rockville Pike, Rockville): With a 4 out of 5 rating after 639 reviews, Silver Diner comes in #10 overall in the county and #2 in Rockville. The restaurant has an additional MoCo location at Gaithersburg’s Rio.


Per Montgomery County: Volunteers are needed for the Nadim Khan Memorial Homeless Resource Day to be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, at the Activity Center at the City of Gaithersburg’s Bohrer Park. The one-day fair provides Montgomery County residents who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with a one-stop opportunity to access a variety of resources and services focusing on health, employment, housing, legal, tax and veteran benefits.

Bohrer Park is located at 506 South Frederick Ave. in Gaithersburg. The event is co-sponsored by the County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the City of Gaithersburg.


Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the 9600blk of Brassie Way in Montgomery Village on Thursday, September 20, around 5:30pm. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from a third floor bedroom window. The fire was extinguished and there were no injuries reported. Four adults have been displaced.

We will post an update if additional information becomes available. Photos courtesy of @h.h.fireproductions on Instagram.


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