Each class begins at 10 a.m. and lasts for three hours. The classes are open to residents 18-and-over who have never previously ridden a bike or who have not done so in a long time.
Advance registration is required to participate in the “Learn to Ride and Basic Skills Training Bike Classes.” The cost of each class is $10 for Montgomery County residents. There is no charge for WABA or Capital Bikeshare members. Classes are limited to 25 people and often fill up quickly.
The 17th Annual Festival Salvadorenisimo is back at Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg on September 11th to celebrate the Independence Day of El Salvador. Doors open at 11am and the festivities will go until nightfall. This event brings in over 15,000 attendees each year.
The main stage will feature performances by top artists and personalities of the Salvadoran community, along with guest speakers from here in MoCo. The fair grounds will have hundreds of vendors selling for food, drinks, clothing, giveaways, and more (check out the flyer below for some of the performers). Anyone interested can get their tickets at http://FestivalSalvadoreno.com
The personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2022’s Most & Least Ethnically Diverse Cities, with 4 of the top 10 cities/areas listed being in Montgomery County.
To identify the most ethnically diverse places in America, WalletHub compared more than 500 of the largest U.S. cities across three key metrics: ethnoracial diversity, linguistic diversity and birthplace diversity. Germantown came in at number 2, Gaithersburg came in at number 3, Silver Spring at number 4, and Rockville came in 10th out of over 500 caress listed. Jersey City, New Jersey came in 1st. Below you’ll see the breakdown for each area:
“Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. (NASDAQ: BBBY) today announced that Gustavo Arnal, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, passed away on September 2, 2022. The entire Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. organization is profoundly saddened by this shocking loss.
“I wish to extend our sincerest condolences to Gustavo’s family. Gustavo will be remembered by all he worked with for his leadership, talent and stewardship of our Company. I am proud to have been his colleague, and he will be truly missed by all of us at Bed Bath & Beyond and everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him,” said Harriet Edelman, Independent Chair of the Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. Board of Directors. “Our focus is on supporting his family and his team and our thoughts are with them during this sad and difficult time. Please join us in respecting the family’s privacy.”
Census data shows that the City of Gaithersburg population grew just over 16% in the past 10 years (from 2010 to 2020). The official 2020 population is 69,657, compared to 59,933 in 2010. Gaithersburg is now the third largest incorporated City in Maryland, behind Baltimore at 585,708, and the City of Frederick at 78,171. There are other unincorporated areas in Maryland that have higher population, including MoCo’s very own Germantown and Silver Spring.
Per the City of Gaithersburg: Gaithersburg has also grown in diversity in the past decade. The Hispanic/Latino of any race percentage now stands at 28.5%, up from 24.2% in 2010. The White not Hispanic/Latino population is now at 31.5%, down from 40.0% in 2010. The Asian not Hispanic/Latino population in Gaithersburg is 19.0%, up from 16.9% in 2010, while the Black/African American not Hispanic/Latino population stands at 16.1%, up from 15.5% in 2010. The largest change occurred in those reporting multiple races, which increased from 4.8% in 2010 to 11.4% in 2020.
Update: The victim was initially described as 7-year-old female by Montgomery County Police; we now know that she is 9-years-old and in the fourth grade. WTOP reports that the 9-year-old […]
La Casita opened its first location in Silver Spring (8214 Piney Branch Rd.) back in 2002. Since then the restaurant has opened locations in Germantown (18058 Mateny Rd.) and Gaithersburg (2 E Diamond Ave), and has just announced the launch of its new food truck “La Casita on Wheels.”
Per La Casita on social media, “La Casita is now on wheels! Book the La Casita food truck for events, festivals, and more.” The food truck schedule will be available via Instagram @LaCasitaPupusas.
The City of Gaithersburg invites you to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with educational & cultural presentations & activities. Residents are encouraged to learn about & celebrate Hispanic culture and participate in local events & programs taking place throughout the month, many coordinated by the City’s Multicultural Affairs Committee. The Mayor & City Council will officially designating September 15 through October 15, 2022 as “Hispanic Heritage Month” in the City of Gaithersburg. The official proclamation will be presented at the September 6 Mayor & City Council meeting. The public is welcome to attend the meeting, watch it live on YouTube or watch it via Zoom by registering here.
The proclamation will be received by María Helena Malagón. María is the only child of Spanish Civil War refugees. She was born in the Dominican Republic and spent her childhood in Mexico, New York & Washington D.C. She has lived in Gaithersburg for more than 40 years. María’s interest & passion for multicultural issues led her to become one of the first ESOL teachers with Montgomery County Public Schools, including Gaithersburg Middle School. In 1984, she was selected to be the Director of the Division of ESOL/Bilingual Programs, a position she held until her retirement in 2002. As the Director, she brought together a highly talented multilingual/multicultural team of individuals who helped develop & implement instructional & support services for more than 11,000 students in 185 schools & their families. María served on numerous local, state & national committees, advocating for English language learners. After retiring, María began volunteering at Hero Dogs, a Gaithersburg-based service-dog training organization. With her Labradors, she makes therapy visits to hospitals, schools & retirement communities including Asbury Methodist Village.
Café Sophie, a European boutique style café with Scandinavian influence, opened at the Montgomery County Airpark (7940 Airpark Rd, Gaithersburg, MD 20879) last October. The café has a hearing for a “Class B, Beer and Wine License, On/Off Sale” at 10:30am on Thursday, September 15th.
Per Café Sophie: “Café Sophie is a European style café with a Scandinavian influence in the Montgomery County Airport. Tom, a Co-Founder, is a foodie from Bergen, Norway, which is the reason for the European style food. We provide indoor and outdoor air-side dining serving breakfast, lunch, and grab ‘n go sandwiches. The airport restaurant received a complete makeover in the spring and summer of 2021.
Spirit is now open in Gaithersburg (Rio) at the former Charming Charlies, located at 101 Boardwalk Place and in Rockville at the former Pier One, located at 12137 Rockville Pike (Pike Center). The location in Burtonsville at the Former Fashion Bug, located at 15791 Columbia Pike, is expected to open soon. During the Halloween season, Spirit operates over 1,400 store locations in North America. The Spirit Halloween website is open year-round, offering its in-store products online. The stores are usually open for 30 or 60 days prior to Halloween.
Joe Marver created the Spirit Halloween business model, a pop-up store catering to Halloween revelers. Starting with his first pop-up location in the Castro Valley Mall in 1984, he grew Spirit Halloween to 60 seasonal stores nationwide before it was acquired in 1999. His approach to short-term leases, locations, and the stocking of widely varied merchandise was novel in the Halloween retail sector.
October 6th update: The re-opening event on Saturday, October 15th, additional information here.
Wendy’s at 18425 Woodfield Rd in Gaithersburg is undergoing renovations that will bring brighter dining areas with additional seating options like private booths or lounge seating, new freestyle soda dispensers, and modern contemporary designs.