Arts on the Green presents the 37th annual juried art exhibition of the Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association (GFAA). The exhibit is on display at the Kentlands Mansion Gallery through July 16. Meet the artists at a free reception on Thursday, April 27 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. All are welcome.

The juror for this year’s exhibit is Michael Shibley, who has been recognized throughout the art community with a variety of awards and professional citations. His original watercolors, which focus on light, shape & colors in the natural and man-made landscape, can be found in both public & private collections in the Washington, D.C. area & across the country.


Boston Market has closed its Gaithersburg location. The phone number is no longer working and the store is no longer listed as a location on the Boston Market website. The space, 494 N Frederick Ave Unit B in Gaithersburg Square, is also listed as “available” through Federal Realty. We reached out to the Aspen Hill location, which remains open, and were told that the Gaithersburg location has closed, but that they were unsure if it was permanent. Community member Andrew S. alerted us to a potential closure when he noticed the screens for the drive-thru were turned off.

Last January we reported that Boston Market would be opening a new Rockville Pike location, according to signage that was put up at the old Katsu Go location in Towne Plaza (the shopping center that’s home to Navy Federal Credit Union and PM Pediatrics) at 12238 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852. In December, we spoke with a klnb representative who told us that Boston Market signed a lease, but had pulled out of the space. The restaurant previously had a location just a couple miles away– on Randolph Road in Loehmann’s Plaza. That location closed back in February of 2019 and has since been replaced by Toosso.


Two weeks ago we let you know that BurgerIM, the Israeli based burger chain that opened a Downtown Crown location in September 2019, was closed. Google and Yelp both list the closure as temporary, but signage stating the space is available for Lease by Kite Realty is now up at the restaurant.


The Department of Public Works has designed improvements to a tributary of Long Draught Branch that runs through Diamond Farm Park. The project’s goal is to stabilize the banks & decrease erosion along 2,200 linear feet of stream. The project extends from the playground & court area downstream to the tributary’s confluence with Long Draught Branch behind the Robertson Park Youth Center.

A structure and Year 1 landscape inspections took place in April 2023. The inspection consisted of assessing all installed in-stream structures, bank erosion, health of the existing installed landscape plan, and non-native invasive vegetation. Year 1 post-construction monitoring activities will continue through the remainder of 2023, implement a non-native invasive eradication plan, and reseed bare spots throughout the project area. The next landscape inspection will take place later this year in Fall 2023. The walking trail at Diamond Farms Park continues to be open and accessible to the community. The fencing around the three staging areas has been removed.


In December, we let you know that Dunkin’ is continuing its massive expansion across the country and in MoCo, with an upcoming location coming to the Traville Village Center in Rockville. We then learned that it will be taking over 1,500 SF in the back half of the building that was previously home to Capital One Bank building at 9761 Traville Gateway Drive (rendering available below). Construction recently began on the location that will also have a drive-thru.1,700 SF on the front side of the building is still available to lease.

Since Inspire Brands acquired Dunkin’ and Baskin Robbins in late 2020 for $11.3 billion, the company has been opening in former bank locations that allow for easy installation of a drive-thru window. Dunkin has also aimed for non-traditional development that includes opening in airports and on college campuses, including the University of Maryland. Featured photo by Ted Pescado


Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Eliu Vesquez Funes, a missing 17-year-old from Gaithersburg. Funes was last seen on Friday, April 21, 2023, at approximately 12 p.m., in the 400 block of Muddy Branch Road. Funes is approximately 5-feet, 2-inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. She has brown eyes, brown hair and wears glasses. It is unknown what clothing she was last seen wearing. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Eliu Vesquez Funes is asked to call the police non-emergency number at (301) 279-8000 (24-hour line) or the Special Victims Investigations Division at (240) 773-5400. Callers may remain anonymous.


Construction is ongoing at the site of Montgomery County’s first Sheetz at 751 Progress Way, which will be located at Progress Labs off of N. Frederick Rd (355) in Gaithersburg. Progress Labs, which began construction in summer 2021, is a 44-acre property that directly fronts I-270 at the Montgomery Village Avenue exit and is located next door to the 300,000 square foot FedEx Ground facility, just south of the new Watkins Mill Interchange. Progress Labs will also be home to a new Chick-Fil-a, which is nearing completion and expected to open this summer. No opening date for Sheetz has been announced.


TaKorean, a Korean taco grill that is taking over the recently-closed Nalley Fresh location at 261 Kentlands Blvd in Gaithersburg, has announced it will hold its soft opening on Thursday, May 4. There will also be a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Gaithersburg Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, May 9 at 10:30am and TaKorean will be offering free food for guests from 11am to 2pm. The restaurant offers Korean style tacos and bowls with options including chicken/Dak Halbi, steak/Bulgogi, pork/Bo Ssam, and tofu/Hoisin. This will be TaKoreans first location outside of D.C.

According to RestaurantDive, TaKorean is currently looking to open one restaurant at a time with future franchisees, and wants to ensure success at its initial franchise locations to create a strong base for a burgeoning franchise program. The company is open to multi-unit deals, but isn’t seeking them out. TaKorean is currently casting a wide net for potential markets, and once it sees brand recognition and franchisee interest in a particular market, it expects to build up that area, Lenard said. TaKorean is flexible on potential restaurant sizes, depending on a market’s real estate conditions.


Laytonsville Elementary School principal Maria Watson sent a letter to the Laytonsville community on Monday informing them of vandalism discovered on a bench outside of the school. According to the letter, the vandalism included a “drawing of a swastika with the name Hitler” drawn on a bench outside of the school. The full letter, with additional information, can be seen below:

“Dear Laytonsville Elementary School Community,


Baylor University’s  George W. Truett Theological Seminary is has announced that first-year Truett student Josepha Mbouma is among two students to have been awarded Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE). Mbouma, a native of Cameroon, grew up in Montgomery County, attending Roberto Clemente Middle School in Germantown and Watkins Mill High School in Montgomery Village where she excelled in the classroom and on the basketball court.

The FASPE is awarded to students pursuing professional degrees in business, journalism, law, medicine, theology, and technology as well as to early-career professionals. Through the program, fellows spend two weeks in Germany and Poland visiting Auschwitz and other key historical sites and participating in seminars led by experts in their respective fields of study. Award recipients are able to examine the roles their counterparts played in Germany and elsewhere from 1933-1945. They then draw on historical, cultural, philosophical, literary, and discipline-specific sources to explore the ethical issues facing their respective fields today.


Per Montgomery County: The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will kick off “Public Works Week” on Saturday, May 20, with Truck Day at the MCDOT Depot and Salt Barn in Gaithersburg. Truck Day is a free, family-friendly event that invites members of the community to touch, climb and explore the many first-response, construction and transportation vehicles that make the county run.

Truck Day will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on May 20 at the MCDOT Truck Depot and Salt Barn, which is located at 17000 Crabbs Branch Way in Gaithersburg.


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