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.
Now Open
Upscale children’s boutique RUE + ROE has opened at 217 Market St W in Gaithersburg, the former site of My Big Finds (now located at 129 Commerce Square Pl. in the in the Kentlands). During its soft opening, hours will be 11am-5pm Tuesday-Saturday and Closed Sunday/Monday.
First reported by Caitlyn Peetz of Bethesda Magazine.
OmniFun Indoor Play Center, located at 831 Russell Ave Gaithersburg, will be reopening on Friday, September 2nd. Two weeks ago we let you know that OmniFun would be reopening in partnership with Frederick’s Me Land. Me Land is an indoor playground located in Frederick, MD that opened in 2020. 20% off admission tickets will be available for the first week (9/2-9/8).
OmniFun closed its doors back on May 23 of this year. At the time, OmniFun’s owner Mike Tian said the business could not recover after the coronavirus pandemic brought business to a standstill. “The business was a success on the first day we were open. It served as a sweet spot for kids to socialize with others and for parents to relax and have a chat. We were very well received and recognized by the community. We had parents traveling hours to OmniFun every weekend. Our birthday parties were fully booked every weekend.”
The theme, “Recovery is for Everyone: Every Person, Every Family, Every Community,” highlights the message that integrated evidence-based care, strong family & community support, and dedicated service providers work together to provide effective treatments & practices, making recovery from mental & substance use disorders in all its forms possible & sustainable.
A month-long “Gaithersburg Goes Purple” initiative will highlight the City’s support. Activities include the illumination of City Hall, Wells/Robertson House, and the Youth Centers in purple light, a social media campaign celebrating recovery successes, educational resources at community outreach events, a 34thanniversary celebration of Wells/Robertson House, and more.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services responded to a collision involving a Ride On Bus on North Frederick Ave (355) and Maryland Ave in Gaithersburg that occurred Wednesday morning, August 31 around 9am. Some lanes on northbound 355 are blocked and drivers should expect residual delays. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, there were no life-threatening injuries sustained. Per @mcfrsPIO on twitter: “N Fred Ave & Maryland Ave, Gaithersburg, collision, involving Ride On Bus. @MCFRS_EMIHS NLT injuries, some lanes NB Rt355 blocked. @mcfrs M708, A708B, T734, RS703, PE708 @MCFRSNews @mcfrsPIO19″
N Fred Ave & Maryland Ave, Gaithersburg, collision, involving Ride On Bus. @MCFRS_EMIHS NLT injuries, some lanes NB Rt355 blocked. @mcfrs M708, A708B, T734, RS703, PE708 @MCFRSNews @mcfrsPIO19 pic.twitter.com/uQ9hRw9cqt
As of 10:26pm on Tuesday, all of the water had been pumped out of the first water main break and crews were digging to expose the broken pipe and make repairs. Just before 2am on Wednesday morning, WSSC announced that work would begin ASAP on second water main break.
Clopper Rd now has intermittent closures between Great Seneca Highway and Waring Station Rd because of the repairs to the two water main breaks. Per WSSC, “Noon today is when we estimate water service being restored. We appreciate your patience as we work as quickly as possible to wrap up repairs and get the water back on.”