At approximately 2:25am early Friday morning, The Kill Devil Hills Fire Department in North Carolina responded to a report of a structure fire. According to the city’s public information officer, Rachel Tackett, crews contained and extinguished the blaze, which had fully engulfed an Outer Banks rental home and damaged two neighboring properties. Unfortunately, three people were killed and three others were injured due to the fire.
The deceased were identified on Monday as 64-year-old Colleen Cohan and her husband William Deeg, 68, of Ashton, Maryland, and 13-year-old Sienna Farr of Silver Spring, Maryland. The three people injured were 48-year-old Laura Volk, 16-year-old Sadie Farr and 55-year-old David Brewer, all of Silver Spring. Volk is Sienna and Sadie’s mother, and the girlfriend of Brewer, per Kill Devil Hills officials. Various reports state that Volk and Brewer remain hospitalized in the burn unit, while Farr has been released. According to wric.com, “A family member’s social media post indicated that recovery for Volk and Brewer could take several months, and they will eventually be transferred to a hospital closer to their home in the suburbs of Washington.” More, per the Town of Kill Devil Hills below:
“On August 11, 2023, at 2:25 a.m., the Kill Devil Hills Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire with the possibility of the fire spreading to other nearby structures.
Upon immediate response, it was determined that a home on the 1800 block of North Virginia Dare Trail was fully engulfed in flames. The fire was extinguished and contained. Crews remain on the scene. Unfortunately, due to the magnitude of the fire, fatalities and injuries occurred. Three fatalities have been reported and three additional patients required medical treatment. The home to the immediate south of also sustained minor damage; however, its occupants were safely relocated.
The Kill Devil Hills Fire Marshal, Dare County Fire Marshal, and the State Bureau of Investigations are investigating to determine the fire origin and cause.In addition to Kill Devil Hills Fire and Police responding, fire crews from Southern Shores, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Colington and Nags Head Fire Departments, along with Dare County EMS and the State Bureau of Investigations were also on scene and assisted in the operation.”
Olney Winery has been operating since 2012, initially as The Winery at Olney. The winemaker was previously located at 18127 Town Center Drive in the Fair Hill shopping center in Olney until September of last year. In 2016, expanded and opened a tasting room in the stone house at 12810 Shank Farm Way in Hagerstown. In July, Olney Winery opened its new space at 52 Olney Sandy Spring Road in Ashton Market that includes a large outdoor patio. In addition to wine, they’re also offering pizza at the location (first look video available below).
Per Olney Winery: “Olney Winery employs the unique business model of sourcing our grape product from suppliers and vineyards all over the world to ferment over 34 different varietals of award-winning wines locally. We bring the world of wine to Maryland.
All of our popular fruit infused wines, as well as our Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc are made from high quality California grapes. Internationally, we craft a delicious Chilean Malbec, a South African Chenin Blanc, and from Italy our Sangiovese, Barolo and Super Tuscan. All of our wines are made by our talented wine making team at our nearby Winery Production Facility.”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cv5TIPgAJp2/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
MoCo native (Brookeville) and 2023 Sherwood graduate, Bryan Kim, has won the 75th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, held at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, South Carolina. He will be attending Duke University in the fall.
Kim, 18, joins Jason Widener (1988) as Duke players to etch their name on the U.S. Junior Amateur Trophy that includes the likes of major champions Tiger Woods, Johnny Miller, David Duval, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler and Brian Harman, this year’s Open winner at Royal Birkdale who sent a congratulatory video message to the champion. Kim advanced to the championship match, where he defeated Joshua Bai. A breakdown of the championship can be found here. Kim is 11th in the latest iteration of the American Junior Golf Association rankings and 443rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. As champion, Kim receives the following:
- A gold medal
- Custody of the U.S. Junior Amateur Trophy for one year
- Exemptions into al future U.S. Junior Amateurs, if age-eligible
- Exemption into the 2024 U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s Course No. 2, in the Village of Pinehurst, N.C.
- Exemptions into the 2023 U.S. Amateur Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club, in Cherry Hills Village, Colo., and 2024 U.S. Amateur Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club, in Chaska, Minn.
Delightful at Daniel Island!
Bryan Kim is champion of the 75th #USJuniorAm! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Roh09ldwpU
— USGA (@USGA) July 30, 2023
Olney Winery has been operating since 2012, initially as The Winery at Olney. The winemaker was located at 18127 Town Center Drive in the Fair Hill shopping center in Olney until September of last year. In 2016, expanded and opened a tasting room in the stone house at 12810 Shank Farm Way in Hagerstown. Last week, Olney Winery opened its new space at 52 Olney Sandy Spring Road in Ashton Market. In addition to wine, they’re also offering pizza at the location.
Per Olney Winery: “Olney Winery employs the unique business model of sourcing our grape product from suppliers and vineyards all over the world to ferment over 34 different varietals of award-winning wines locally. We bring the world of wine to Maryland.
All of our popular fruit infused wines, as well as our Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc are made from high quality California grapes. Internationally, we craft a delicious Chilean Malbec, a South African Chenin Blanc, and from Italy our Sangiovese, Barolo and Super Tuscan. All of our wines are made by our talented wine making team at our nearby Winery Production Facility.” Featured photo courtesy of Olney Winery on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/100064013558819/posts/679534117523701/?mibextid=cr9u03
Kameron Simmonds, a sophomore at the University of Tennessee, will be representing Jamaica in the team’s World Cup matchup against France at 6 am on Sunday, July 23. Simmonds, who is the third generation of players in her family to represent Jamaica on the national stage grew up in Midlothian, VA, but her father Greg Simmonds is a graduate of Sherwood High School.
Kameron is following in her father and grandfather’s footsteps, as both men previously played for Jamaica’s national soccer team. In an interview discussing her family’s love for soccer and each other with Knox News, Simmonds said, “The love that we have for the game and each other, it’s just so amazing that I get to continue that legacy within the family. It’s something we can bond over and talk about. It’s just an incredible honor.”
After graduating from Sherwood in the early 90s, Greg Simmonds went on to attend Howard University where he played soccer and graduated as the all-time leading scorer for the Bison in 1998. In 1999, Simmonds turned professional with the Hershey Wildcats of the USL A-League. He scored sixteen goals that season and was selected as the A-League Rookie of the Year. His scoring touch led to D.C. United calling him up in January 2000 for two games in the 2000 CONCACAF Champions’ Cup. His professional career spanned until 2009 and he now the president and founder of various Futsal programs in the Richmond area.
Kameron will lead Jamaica in World Cup Group F with France, Brazil, and Panama. Jamaica is +4000 to finish first in Group F at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. To win the whole tournament, it has +50000 odds, according to Fox Sports.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu-jpFnPPkb/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Popular Ashton restaurant El Andariego has announced a week-long closure to allow its staff to go on vacation. The restaurant will close from Monday, August 7th until Sunday, August 13th, before reopening on Monday, August 14th. The full message can be seen below:
“Dear customers of El Andariego Restaurant:
We are pleased to share with you some important news after a year of intense work. As a team, we consider it essential that our valuable staff have the opportunity to enjoy a well-deserved vacation with their loved ones.
For this reason, and due to a shortage of additional personnel, we have made the decision to close El Andariego Restaurant for a complete week, from Monday, August 7th, until Sunday, August 13th, 2023. We deeply appreciate your understanding and support in this decision, as it allows us to provide our employees with the necessary time to rest and recharge. We are confident that this will result in an improvement in the quality and service we offer you.
We thank you for your loyalty and look forward to welcoming you again with our customary hospitality starting on Monday, August 14th, 2023. Sincerely, Consuelo, Jaime, Cristina, and the Staff.”
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CrgKtezgfS_/?igshid=YzcxN2Q2NzY0OA==
Sam Dickey, a senior at Sherwood High School, was awarded the $180,000 Navy ROTC Scholarship (Marine option) on Thursday, May 25th. Rockville Marines announced yesterday, “Today, Sam is one of the hand selected few who have been awarded the $180,000 NROTC Scholarship (Marine Option)!! What an awesome way to represent your family and Sherwood High School! Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication!”
Per the NROTC: The purpose of the Navy ROTC Program is to educate and train qualified young men and women for service as commissioned officers in the Navy’s unrestricted line, the Navy Nurse Corps and the Marine Corps. As the largest single source of Navy and Marine Corps officers, the Navy ROTC Scholarship Program plays an important role in preparing mature young men and women for leadership and management positions in an increasingly technical Navy and Marine Corps.
Selected applicants for the Navy ROTC Scholarship Program are awarded scholarships through a highly competitive national selection process, and receive full tuition, books stipend, educational fees and other financial benefits OR Room and Board at many of the country’s leading colleges and universities. Upon graduation, midshipmen are commissioned as officers in the unrestricted line Naval Reserve or Marine Corps Reserve.
The Navy ROTC Scholarship Program is available to qualified students who graduate from high school before August 1 of the year they intend to start college.
Students selected for the Navy ROTC Scholarship Program make their own arrangements for college enrollment and room and board, and take the normal course load required by the college or university for degree completion. Additionally, scholarship midshipmen are required to follow specific academic guidelines.
Full information concerning the Navy ROTC Scholarship Program is available from any of the colleges and universities with Navy ROTC units or from Navy and Marine Corps recruiters. A list of colleges and universities is available on this website at the Colleges and Universities page.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CssFJbKOJlU/?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg==
Another year, another Strawberry Festival! The 41st annual festival will take place at the Sandy Spring Museum (17901 Bentley Road) on June 3 and 4. “You might not think it’s possible but this year’s festival is going to be more fun than ever! That’s because it’s the 41st year and there are at least 41 great things to look forward to.”
What’s the Strawberry Festival? It’s a giant block party, picnic, neighborhood gathering, and community celebration all rolled into two days of outdoor, family-friendly fun. Live music from two stages, kids’ games, petting zoo, pony rides, food trucks, crafts sale, the world’s greatest strawberry shortcake and many more activities. You can even eat crickets (video below)!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CP4OQFkjM5G/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a collision in the area of New Hampshire Avenue and Ashton Road in Ashton-Sandy Spring at approximately 4:15am on Sunday morning.
According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, the vehicle went off the road in front of the Exxon station at 17840 New Hampshire Ave and overturned. A patient was extricated from the vehicle and transported to the hospital. There is currently no word on the cause of the crash or the condition of the patient.
(~415a) IAO New Hampshire Ave. & Ashton Road, IFO Exxon gas station, collision with entrapment, patient extricated, @MCFRS_EMIHS transported 1 adult trauma, @mcfrs PE704, A704, T725, RS715, C715, EMS704 responded pic.twitter.com/HqXzqFQA6C
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) May 7, 2023
Sherwood High School’s Rock ‘n Roll Revival just had its 52nd annual show– the tradition has been going strong since 1971, with 2020 being the only year a live show wasn’t produced due to Covid (a virtual show was produced that year). It all began when Sherwood students were inspired by a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Since then, students audition for the show and rehearse for a couple months, working with staff members to put together a show that is routinely seen by thousands of people each year.
Per Dan Gross of MCPS Communications, “performers work on four to five songs a day. Other cast members who rehearse separately accompany the larger group little by little until all 40 songs have been rehearsed en masse. Shortly before opening night, dancers join in when rehearsals move to the theater. In the weeks before opening night, the stage is built and painted, while the tech crew finalizes sound and lighting.” Gross writes that this year’s show involved 250 student performers and crew members and was seen by over 6,000 people over six performances this year. See the full MCPS photo story here.
Working with industry leaders, hospitality and restaurant management students at Seneca Valley and Sherwood high schools served a four-course meal at a pop-up restaurant in Potomac on Feb. 3. The school was above to raise over $5,200 from the event (photos available below).
The dinner was an opportunity for the students to experience the variety of activities necessary to stage a sophisticated experience—from social media and ticket sales to front-of-house management and heart-of-house hustle. With a team of chefs from CAVA, the students designed, prepared and served the dinner at the Falls Road Golf Course Café on Friday.
Prior to the event, CAVA restaurant owners Ted Xenohristos and Dimitri Moshovitis went to Sherwood to help students plan, create and execute an intricate four-course meal. Jana Anderson, Montgomery College professor, worked with Seneca Valley students to create the perfect ambience and ensure students were hospitable, eager and able to serve their clientele. Alan Squier, owner of Squier Associates, donated rented linens, china, table settings and serving pieces. Lizz Durante of Payroll Network helped to publicize and market the fundraising event.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will allow the Foundation for Hospitality and Restaurant Management (FHRM) to offer programs throughout Montgomery County and give high school students the opportunity to explore the variety of careers in hospitality, work opportunities and apprenticeships and find ways to engage students and educators in projects. FHRM had additional support from Marriott, Mamma Lucia Restaurants, Acme Paper & Supply, the Federal Insurance Federation, Shulman Rogers and Perfect Settings.
