Winter City Lights is described as “a magical holiday experience of 1 million twinkling lights spread across 18-acres of an outdoor winter wonderland where it is guaranteed to Winter City snow every night.” It’s now open 4501 Olney Laytonsville Road in Olney (preview below).

Per Winter City Lights: This is the largest light show in the Washington DC and Baltimore area. Winter City Lights is one of the most technologically advanced Christmas light experiences in the country. Complete with 14 bonfires, Winter City Lights includes an enchanted 1.5-mile long trail of Christmas lights and displays through the woods, a 52-foot high programmable Christmas lights tree and light show, a 200-foot diameter canopy of Christmas lights, an 8 lane Snow Tubing Ride, s’mores, funnel cakes & more.


Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – 4th District Investigative Section are investigating a residential burglary that occurred on Friday, November 4, 2022, in Olney. Detectives have released surveillance photos of the suspect’s vehicle and are asking the public’s assistance in identifying it. At approximately 2 p.m., 4th District officers responded to the 4200 block of Cherry Valley Drive for the report of a residential burglary that occurred earlier.

The investigation by detectives has determined that an unknown suspect(s) forced entry into the victim’s home through the front and rear patio doors. Once inside, the suspect(s) rummaged through the residence, stealing property and personal documents.


24/7 Wall Street, a financial news and opinion company with content delivered over thr internet and featured on various national websites, used five-year estimates of median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) to create its list of “25 Richest Cities in America” list For 2022. Included in its list are two areas (technically not cities) in Montgomery County– Potomac (ranked 7th) and Bethesda (ranked 20th). The list only includes municipalities with populations greater than 25,000. Olney is also ranked 44th on this list.

“Based on the 2019 five-year ACS data, many cities in America were noticing a massive rise in income, with much of the wealth concentrated in California—a whopping nine of the 25 richest cities in the U.S. are located within the state. Despite being home to more than a third of the country’s richest cities, California is not the richest state—Maryland, with a median household income of $86,738, is—nor is it home to the richest city.”


Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for smoke coming from the second floor of a two story single-family home on Governors Way off of Cherry Valley Drive in Olney a little before 11:30pm on Sunday night.

According to MCFRS Public Information Officer Pete Piringer, the fire was located in the attic of the home and involved the HVAC. By 11:45pm, any visible fire had been knocked out and crews were checking for possible extension. By 12:30am early Monday morning, it was confirmed that the fire was out completely. Featured photo by Google Maps.


On Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m., the public is invited to a virtual public hearing held by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) to discuss the proposed construction to rehabilitate the Brighton Dam Road, Bridge No. M-0229, over Brighton Dam. At the virtual hearing, MCDOT will present the project details, costs and schedules and obtain public testimony.

The 602-foot long 15-span bridge, which is supported by Brighton Dam, is in need of repairs to the concrete parapets, bridge deck joints, prestressed concrete beams, concrete abutment backwalls, streetlights, asphalt approach roadways and concrete sidewalks to enhance the safety of the traveling public and the integrity of the dam. Public input is encouraged and may influence final design plans.


Sandy Spring Slave Museum & African Art Gallery (SSSM), Inc has announced that they, along with former NFL player and MoCo native Richie Anderson, have established the Richie Anderson Project Youth Advisory Committee.

Richard “Richie” Anderson grew up in the Sandy Spring community and attended Sherwood High School where he excelled as a student-athlete in Football, Basketball, and Track-and-Field. His excellence in athletics allowed him the privilege to be a 2010 Sherwood Hall of Fame member. After high school, Anderson played for Penn State University football on a scholarship, leading him to be drafted into the NFL by the New York Jets in the 1993 NFL draft.


Scratch Kitchen opened it’s doors in Olney just a couple months back and the restaurant is already giving back to the community, generously providing a “true Thanksgiving meal”  for 130 new multilingual learners at Gaithersburg High School next week.

On Tuesday, November 22nd, Gaithersburg High School will host it’s annual Thanksgiving Lunch to the school’s newcomer multilingual learners. Per a community message sent out by Gaithersburg High School, “Every year, we invite our newcomer students to experience the true Thanksgiving meal during lunch on the day before our Thanksgiving break. This luncheon typically includes all of the newcomer students, our administrative team, our counseling team, and our English Language Development teachers. The goal is always to help our students feel comfortable breaking bread with school staff, and to help them experience an American tradition. It is typically the first time our students have tasted turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie.”


Over 50 Maryland breweries submitted 300 unique beers to the 2022 Maryland Craft Beer Competition. A panel of judges reviewed, assessed and awarded entries in 20 different style categories, with MoCo beers taking home first place awards in seven categories. The overall competition was won by Olde Mother Brewing Co. from Frederick, with their Callisto Oatmeal Stout receiving top honors. Below you’ll see the MoCo beers that won awards:

Other MoCo beers from places like True Respite (Rockville), Denizens (Silver Spring), Brookeville Beer Farm (Brookeville) also placed in the competition. Full results can be seen here.


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