Updates on Six New Places Coming to the Kentlands Neighborhood
The construction on the restaurants coming to the paseo hasnt made much progress in the last few months. The paseo is the walkway that can be found next to MOD Pizza (where Chopt is going) on one side and Berries & Bowls on the other.
12/5/20 UPDATE per the City of Gaithersburg
Due to the number of vehicles visiting the Winter Lights Festival, there is an excessively long wait to get into the event, especially on weekends.
We’re a few months into the construction at the site of the upcoming Lidl at the Professional Center site that was on Montgomery Village and Centerway, across from the Montgomery Village shopping center.
Before the buildings were demolished, however, resident Chelsea Hall found some pretty impressive graffiti adorning the walls of the abandoned buildings.
“Remember that guy that used to paint at Rio?” We sure do. If you ever walked through Rio between 2000-2016, you probably spotted George Petridis working on one of his beautiful paintings with a lot of his other artwork on display in the atrium of Rio just outside of the movie theater. For over 15 years, Petridis displayed his art and worked on new pieces surrounded by the bustle of the Rio crowd– often interacting with those who stopped to enjoy some of the work he had on display.
You’d be surprised to learn that Petridis didn’t actually live in MoCo, though he spent much of his time here while his art was on display at Rio. He was born and raised in Athens, Greece and didn’t pick up art until later in life while he was looking to become a cardiologist and fell in love with the daughter of a prominent artist in Belgium, who introduced him to painting. After participating in a show in Paris, he decided his passion would become his career and he joined his brother in Toronto, Canada.
Tired of Dodging Potholes on Your Street? You Can Ask MoCo to Fix Them!
Many of us are familiar with the stark and sudden feeling of horror that can come after speeding through an unexpected pothole. Crunch! Some might liken it to stubbing your toe in the night when you’re stumbling into the dark towards your kitchen for a midnight snack…only, the pothole might feel just a bit more painful, and potentially much more expensive.
Many of you may have spent a sun-splashed day roaming the 18.3-acre grounds of Nike Missile Park in Gaithersburg near Snouffer School Road. However, this site was not always the lovely green space that we see today – and the “Nike” is not referring to the Swoosh we’re all familiar with. Project Nike was an anti-aircraft missile initiative that traces its roots back to 1944, when the U.S. Department of War (now the Department of Defense) tasked its scientists and engineers to develop a widespread anti-aircraft missile system. During the Cold War, tensions were at a fever pitch, and the U.S. military sought to ensure that the nation was protected in the event of an attack.
Previously known as Site W-94 in the Washington-Baltimore Defense Area (BA, W), the Gaithersburg site was one of several Nike facilities across the capital region equipped with anti-aircraft infrastructure for use in the case of airborne attacks. The site was equipped with the Nike Ajax (MIM-3) missile systems, which were the main foundation of the Nike program until the mid-1960s. Once the technology advanced past the Ajax’s point, the Gaithersburg Nike Missile site was deactivated and demolished, with the core site being transferred to the National Park Service and the surrounding areas developed into residential lots. In 1997, the National Park Service then transferred the site to the Maryland-National Capital Park Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), at which point we gained the Nike Missile Park that we know today.
A List of Restaurant Closures in MoCo Since March 17th, 2020
Though this isn’t a list of closures caused by the pandemic, since there is no way to determine every reason behind a closure, 17% of restaurants (over 110,000) have closed since the time it started, according to Business Insider.
Ela Mesa Taste of Greece Making Progress in Spectrum Town Center (Gaithersburg)
Ela Mesa Taste of Greece signage has gone up and new deliveries of restaurant equipment and decor have arrived.
La Madeleine in Bethesda Closes Permanently
Late last week Bethesda Beat reported that La Madeleine French Bakery and Cafe in Bethesda has closed permanently. The Downtown Silver Spring and Pike & Rose locations closed back in 2017, while the Downtown Crown location remains open (we were told there are no current plans to close the location).
This Montgomery County native is an accomplished musician, a New York Times Best Selling author, and Twitch streamer. Born in Rockville, Maryland, he grew up in the West Deer Park neighborhood in Gaithersburg. He also worked at Joe’s Crab Shack in Rio and performed there a few times when he started off.
Originally under the name Psychological, he started performing professionally in 2009. As to why he called himself that, he said, “ I just loved this word because it was about the mind and I knew that’s what I wanted my music to consist of; something that really challenges the mind.” Years later, he would rise to international fame and receive 2 Grammy nominations.
Back in 1990 you could watch Back to the Future at the “Dive-in Move” at Stedwick Pool. In 2020, the classic film was shown at DC Party Box’s drive-in theater in Rockville.
Did you know that the very first Toys R Us was in Rockville?