Staff, students, families and the community are welcome to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Outdoor Environmental Education Program from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 at the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Education Center, 5110 Meadowside Lane in Rockville. The event will feature:

Vendors are expected to include: Montgomery Parks, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, the Izaak Walton League, Nature Forward, NASA, the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, the MCPS Division of Sustainability and Compliance, Conservation Nation, the Poolesville High School Global Ecology Program, One Montgomery Green, Meadowside Nature Center and the Montgomery County Forestry Board.


Montgomery County Police responded to an incident involving a man threatening people with a machete on Tuesday, September 26 in North Bethesda. According to MCPD, “The call for a man with a machete was received at approximately 8:55 p.m. Officers responded to the 4800 block of Boiling Brook Pkwy and located an adult male with a machete. He was quickly taken into custody without incident.  No victims were located and no injuries were reported.” We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.

Safety reported Cordell Pugh reported the following on Twitter: “NORTH BETHESDA MACHETE MAN: ~9PM Thursday, shops off Boiling Brook Pkwy East of Parklawn Dr. Security called for Police assistance with a man threatening people with a machete. @MCPnews (@2DCommander) Officers rapidly located suspect & safely detained him without incident.”


Fall is here and the colors around us are about to change. Whether it’s the taste of a warm pumpkin-flavored latte, the cool breeze of a crisp fall morning, weekends full of football, or the yellow glow of the sun on a tall birch tree, autumn is often a contender for MoCo residents’ favorite season (however short it may be). Many locals are looking forward to combining all the best parts of fall and enjoying the foliage outdoors, so we’ve put together a small list of 11 where you can enjoy the foliage across the county:

Agricultural Reserve: A drive through the rural areas that the 93,000 acre Agricultural Reserve encompasses, along with the larger rural communities of Damascus and Poolesville and small crossroad communities such as Beallsville, Sunshine and Dickerson, are sure to give you your fill of fall foliage.


Last November we let you know that Sodexo committed its U.S. headquarters to 915 Meeting Street, a new 276,000-square-foot trophy office building currently under construction at the award-winning mixed-use development of Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland. Sodexo’s headquarters are currently located at 9801 Washingtonian Blvd in Gaithersburg (next to Rio Lakefront). According to a recent Maryland Newsletters report, the firm pulled a permit toward a $5.59 million fitout of 51,907 square feet at the North Bethesda building.

Sodexo will be taking 52,000 square feet, along with Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), which signed a long-term lease to occupy 105,000 square feet. Sodexo is a leading global provider of catering, facilities management, employee benefits and personal home services to 100 million daily consumers in 56 countries. It will be moving from its current location in Gaithersburg to Pike & Rose in Spring 2024 (renderings are available below courtesy of Federal Realty).


Peterson Cos. has acquired the 402-unit Huntington at King Farm: Phase II apartment complex in Rockville for $135.5 million, according to a recent BizJournals report. This is the first residential holding for Peterson Cos. in Montgomery County. On the retail side, Peterson Cos. owns Downtown Silver Spring, Milestone Center in Germantown, and Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg. Peterson Cos purchased the property on September 21st.

“Located at 801 Elmcroft Boulevard in Rockville, Huntington at King Farm: Phase II is a unique multifamily property in the prestigious King Farm neighborhood. The community has a total of 402 rental units, 165 of which are townhomes with private parking garages. Originally built in 2000 with generously sized floor plans of nearly 1,200 square feet on average, the community has benefitted from by long-term institutional ownership that maintained the property to a high level. Since 2011, approximately 342 units have been renovated.


Rocktobierfest returns to Rockville Town Center on Saturday, Sept. 30 for a day of bands, beers and being together. The fifth edition of the free festival, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., will include two stages of live music, food, beer sales by local breweries, and an artisan shopping area.

Bavarian and rock musical acts will take the stage, including Mike Surratt and the Continentals, Under the Covers, Capital Effect, Chesapeake Sons, Alt Washingtonia and Rockville German Band. Featured beverage vendors will include 7 Locks Brewing, Crooked Crab Brewing Company, Dawson’s Market, Denizens Brewing Co., Landmade Brewing, Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co., Saints Row Brewing, Silver Branch Brewing Company, Twin Valley Distillers, Waredaca Brewing Company and World of Beer.


Montgomery County Police tweeted the following at 2:15pm on Tuesday, September 26: “TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Downed wires have the 15100 block of Southlawn Lane closed. Drivers are advised to seek an alternate route. Expect significant delays.” We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.

TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Downed wires have the 15100 block of Southlawn Lane closed. Drivers are advised to seek an alternate route. Expect significant delays. #MCPNews #MCPD #traffic pic.twitter.com/dCmYFEKcHB


Torchy’s Tacos is coming to 12266 Rockville Pike in Federal Plaza, taking over part of the space that was recently home to Chuy’s and previously home to Ruby Tuesday (photos below). Kura Revolving Sushi Bar will be taking over the other part of the space.

Torchy’s Tacos, featuring “the most unique tacos, coveted queso and refreshing margaritas in the game, and the rotating Taco of the Month,” will open its first location in the DMV in 2024. The 3,961 square-foot restaurant will be located at 12266 Rockville Pike. With more than 115 locations across 14 states, Torchy’s Tacos serves tacos, sides, and drinks from scratch, made-to-order.


Per Pike & Rose: Spend the day with family and friends at North Bethesda’s premier fall festival– PIKEtoberfest. Get into the fall groove Oktoberfest-style with live music and entertainment throughout the day. Grab a pint of local and craft brews at Owen’s Ordinary beer garden and enjoy a bountiful harvest of eats and treats from the neighborhood’s retail and restaurant partners. Discover artisanal hand-crafted goods at the pop-up Makers Market, play against your friends in exciting games, and get creative with kid’s activities. The event is free to attend and dogs are welcome!

WHAT: PIKEtoberfest at North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose


Kura Revolving Sushi is coming to 12266 Rockville Pike in Federal Plaza, taking over part of the space that was recently home to Chuy’s and previously home to Ruby Tuesday (photos below). Torchy’s Tacos will be taking over the other part of the space.

Kura Revolving Sushi Bar is the “ultimate eater-tainment” dining experience serving up authentic Japanese cuisine through an engaging conveyor belt system packed with prizes, drink delivery robots and more. The dining experience features a revolving sushi bar that snakes through the dining area with a wide variety of sushi plates for patrons to select from as they circulate and an express belt positioned above the main belt that delivers orders tableside placed via the ordering tablet from the 140+ menu inclusive of sushi, udon, ramen, hot and cold sides, and desserts. Guests can also look forward to receiving fun prizes for every 15 sushi plates and soft beverages delivered by Kur-B the KuraBot.


ABC’s new Bachelor spinoff, “Golden Bachelor”, stars 72-year-old Gerry Turner– a retired restauranteur and widower from Indiana, who is looking for love on the new series that premieres on September 28, 2023. The show’s tagline is “it’s never too late to fall in love…again”, which refers to the contestants’ ages of 60 years young and up. One contestant vying for Gerry’s attention is Joan– a “private school administrator” from Rockville, Maryland. More on Joan, per “Golden Bachelor” below:

Featured photo courtesy of ABC.


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