The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair returns next month on 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. You can download a copy of the 2023 Fair Catalog here.  Admission to the fair is $15 on-site and $12 online. Children 11 & under can enter free and parking is $15 per car. Tickets can be purchased here. 

Free entertainment this year includes a canine aquatics competition, pig racing, the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, illusionists, remote control car racing, comedy shows, and stilt walkers.  Ticketed events at the Fair’s Grandstand include Truck Drag Racing on August 14th, the Renegade Monster Truck Tour on August 16th and 17th, and Demolition Derby “Night of Destruction” on August 18th and 19th.


The City of Gaithersburg Planning Commission reviewed the proposed annexation of the Walnut Hill shopping center at its Wednesday, July 5, 2023 meeting and will accept comments through 5:00 p.m. Thursday, July 13, 2023.  The Commission is scheduled to make its formal recommendation to the Council during its July 19, 2023 meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.

The Montgomery County Planning Board is scheduled to review the annexation at their July 13, 2023 meeting. The Mayor and City Council have scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall  (virtual participation will also be available). The subject properties to be annexed are located northeast of MD Route 355 and include the Walnut Hill Shopping Center at 16531 South Frederick Avenue, a restaurant at 8941 North Westland Drive, a vacant parcel at 8939 North Westland Drive, and a portion of the right of way of North Westland Drive.


Auntie Anne’s/Cinnabon combination restaurant is now open at 220 Boardwalk Place in Rio, taking over the location that was recently home to Lilly Magilly’s– as the cupcakery is still preparing for a move to a new location.

The two brands, popular for their presence in malls, are co-branding to open locations across the country. In recent years, Cinnabon left then returned to Montgomery Mall. There’s also an existing Cinnabon location in Wheaton Mall. Auntie Anne’s has locations at the outlets in Clarksburg, Ellsworth Place Mall, Montgomery Mall, and Wheaton Mall in MoCo.


The Lakeforest Mall auction has officially ended and winners of the auctions will be picking up their items in the coming days. The 2014 Chevy Silverado, emblazoned with the Lakeforest Mall logo and 21,242 miles of usage (and currently not running), was the item that went for the highest price– selling for $23,700. The plow used to clear snow from the Lakeforest Mall parking lot, that attaches to the pick-up truck, sold for $1,525. It’s unclear if the same person won both items.

The popular food court canoe structure (with grapes in it) ended up going for a price of $205. A scissor lift used by maintenance staff at Lakeforest went for just over $3,000, a candy machine sold for $1,375, and someone is going to have a really fun play area for their kids at home as the entire Lakeforest Mall play area (with walls included) sold for $1,425.


Hong Kong Pearl has announced that it will be taking over the location that has been home to New Fortune at 16515 S Frederick Ave in Gaithersburg. New Fortune has operated in Gaithersburg for many years and the dim sum restaurant, known for having over 140 different offerings, has been a staple in the Walnut Hill shopping center.

Recently a sign was placed on the New Fortune window explaining that the restaurant is under new management. The same notice can be found on the New Fortune website. Hong Kong Pearl, which has a location in Falls Church, also offers dim sum. The new restaurant will hold its grand opening on on Saturday, July 8th with “new dishes and a dragon dance” starting at 11:30am.


Explore all things sports as the City of Gaithersburg hosts the annual SportsFest on Saturday, July 15th from 8am-11am. Youth entering grades K through 8 can participate in a variety of activities. The free event, which takes place rain or shine, will be held at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm.

The Gaithersburg Sports philosophy of participation over competition will be on display throughout the day. The event kicks off with a 3K Run through Bohrer Park at 8 a.m., registration is required for the 3K Run. The deadline to register is Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Following the 3K Run, we will have an opening celebration before the stations open at 9 a.m.


Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Special Victims Investigations Division (SVID) are asking for the public’s assistance in locating Eduardo Mendez-Rodriguez, a missing 14-year-old from Gaithersburg.

Mendez-Rodriguez was last seen on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at approximately 6 p.m., on Grazing Way. Mendez-Rodriguez is approximately 5-feet, 6-inches tall and 145 pounds.  He has black hair and brown eyes.


Topographic and utility surveys have recently been completed on the I-270/NIST Shared-Use Path project that includes design of a new 10-foot wide shared use path between an existing path along the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) frontage on West Diamond Avenue and would extend to Muddy Branch Road near the Festival Shopping Center.

The total length of the project is approximately 1 mile. Per the City of Gaithersburg, “This connection would add another critical bicycle connection around the NIST campus. This path will add to the City’s low stress network, allowing for shortened and safer connections for the community.”


Dunkin’ Donuts at at 20000 Goshen Rd. (former Capital One Bank building) in the Goshen Crossing Shopping Center, which opened on June 7, will hold its grand opening celebration this Saturday, July 8. Starting at 9, the restaurant will reward the first 100 customers with “Free Coffee for a Year” and from 9-11am, Dunkin’s mascot Cuppy will be on hand to give out free merchandise to guests from the Dunkin’ Prize Wheel.

Additional information courtesy of Dunkin’: At 10:00 a.m., Dunkin’ franchisee network Luis Group will host the store’s official ribbon cutting. Following the ribbon cutting, the Luis Group, in partnership with the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, will award local nonprofit Driven to Cure a $3,000 grant. Based in Silver Spring, Driven to Cure works to raise funds and awareness for children and young adults with rare kidney diseases.


In January we let you know that Poke Bros will be opening its first Maryland location in Gaithersburg’s Kentlands neighborhood. The restaurant, which opened its first location in 2016 and has since expanded to over 75 restaurants across the country, will be taking over the space that was previously home to Next Day Blinds at 107 Market St W until 2020. Permanent signage is now up, but there is plenty of work left to do on the interior of the restaurant (photo below). An opening date is not yet available.

More bout Poke Bros: After the founders were introduced to the Hawaiian staple on a trip to California. The appeal of this fast and casual—while healthy—concept immediately inspired the founders to begin thinking how they could bring this unique dish to the midwest. From its inception, we were confident the foodies of Columbus would love the poké concept, but wanted to provide an inexpensive and accessible product in the larger market. After some intense research and trial and error, the Poké Bros founders developed their own brand of poké bowl flavor they are proud to share and call their own. Modeling similar assembly line casual dining concepts, we developed a unique way to build your “sushi in a bowl” and have fun doing so! As the poké movement has caught on, Poké Bros has rapidly expanded into multiple states across the Midwest and East Coast, offering the same fresh and authentic cuisine to a wider range of customers. We will continue to stick to our roots, as Poké Bros continues to grow, and offer only the best fresh ingredients that fill you up but don’t slow you down.


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