Germantown Archives - Page 110 of 143

Live Opening of Time Capsule at Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary School in Germantown This Morning

Published June 3, 2022 at 6:13AM | Updated June 5, 2022 at 10:21AM

A time capsule was buried in 2002 by students at Spark M. Matsunaga and Longview School and will be opened at an event at the school that will be broadcasted live on YouTube at 10am today (Friday, June 3rd). Matsunaga Elementary and Longview School, is named in honor of Senator Spark Masayuki Matsunaga from Hawaii. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1962, and later served in the Senate from 1977-1990. Matsunaga Elementary is the first school in Montgomery County named after an Asian-American. The school is also the first co-located school in Montgomery County and represents an end of separating students with special needs from their peers.

To commemorate the co-location of these schools, students raised $2,100 in 2002 for a time capsule that has been displayed at the school’s Media Center. In addition, students and their families have contributed written works and letters that will be included in the capsule. The capsule will be opened in twenty years when its count-down clock reaches zero, which will be at 10am today.

Germantown Flea Markets Returns This Saturday, June 4

By Patrick Herron

Published June 2, 2022 at 8:55AM | Updated June 2, 2022 at 3:20PM

The number of vendors varies from 50 to 150 depending on the weather. Since the markets are outdoors, weather always plays a part in the activity, but the markets are only canceled for heavy steady rain or high winds. The markets are held on the first Saturday of the month – April though November – and the cold dark early mornings of the first and last months require heavy coats, gloves and flashlights. In the summer months a rogue thunderstorm can send vendors racing to cover their goods with tarps and to seek shelter in their cars, only to pop out again like prairie dogs from their holes when the sun comes out. But that is all part of the adventure.

Vendors are charged $25 for a 10’ x10’ space and must set up before 7am and pack up at 1pm. After the overhead of insurance, port-a-john, signage and security, all the proceeds go to three local non-profit organizations – the Germantown Historical Society, the Button Farm Living History Program, and a Boy Scout Troop. The Germantown Historical Society began the Flea Markets in 1993 to raise funds. There were only about two dozen vendors at that first market

Germantown Then & Now: Cemeteries Reveal Stories of the Past

By Susan Soderberg

Published June 1, 2022 at 6:03AM | Updated June 2, 2022 at 9:16PM

Today we call all places where people are buried cemeteries, but it is actually a fairly recent term that first appeared in America in the 1830s with the first corporate Memorial Parks. Before that there were burial grounds—municipal burial grounds, churchyard burial grounds and family burial grounds. Burial grounds are sacred places. They mark where our ancestors lie, commemorate the special, and memorialize the unique, but they are also primary sources that can tell us about birth and death dates, where a person lived, who was related to whom, and social customs surrounding death and burial.

In the 18^th and 19^th centuries, when Montgomery County was still frontier or at least very rural, people died they were buried on thier property when they died. Almost every farm had its own burial ground. In towns and urban areas, the dead were buried on church or town property in churchyards or graveyards. As cities and towns grew, these places for the dead grew overcrowded and at the same time people began to realize that decaying matter spread disease. So, the burial grounds had to move outside the city. Official Cemeteries were established outside cities and towns beginning in the 1830s. These were either voluntary associations or private, often for-profit, corporations. The organization would purchase the land then sell burial plots, keeping a trust fund for future upkeep. Sometimes these cemeteries were created as parks, landscaped with exotic trees and flowers and having wandering paths, benches and gazebos creating a pastoral atmosphere for the “contemplation of death and life.” Lovers strolled and families picnicked in these park cemeteries.

Clearway Pain Solutions Opens Newest Office Location in Bethesda

By MCS Staff

Published June 1, 2022 at 5:33AM

Clearway Pain Solutions has opened its newest location in Bethesda. The office is located at 6410 Rockledge Dr #421 Bethesda, MD 20817 and is staffed by Dr. Anna Irwin. The Bethesda location joins the Germantown office as the only two Montgomery County locations.

Clearway Pain Solutions is a leading interventional pain management practice focused on relieving pain, restoring function, and renewing the quality of life for their patients. Clearway serves as a one-stop, comprehensive, integrated system of advanced pain solution treatments and as the end-to-end coordinator of interventional treatments, medication management, chiropractic services, physical therapy, massage therapy, and regenerative medicine, along with lab testing, durable medical equipment, and pharmacy services. The practice also specializes in helping patients recover from workplace and auto accident injuries.

Germantown’s QIAGEN Acquires Majority Stake in Enzymes Provider BLIRT SA

By MCS Staff

Published May 31, 2022 at 5:48AM

Earlier this month, QIAGEN N.V. (which has its United States headquarters in Germantown) announced that it signed agreements to acquire a 96% majority ownership stake in BLIRT SA (Polish Stock Exchange: BLR), a manufacturer of recombinant enzymes for the life science industry based in Gdansk, Poland.

Per the press release: BLIRT develops, manufactures and commercializes standardized and customized solutions for proteins and enzymes as well as molecular biology reagents. Its offering includes proteins and enzymes that are critical to the life sciences industry and diagnostic kit manufacturers, especially for non-COVID-19 applications. BLIRT, founded in 1994 in Gdansk, Poland, has approximately 90 employees and generated 2021 sales of less than $10 million.

Northwest Baseball Coach Steps Down After 20 Years and 2 State Championships With the Program

By MCS Staff

Published May 25, 2022 at 5:35PM

Northwest Varsity Head Baseball coach, Todd Varesco, has stepped down after 20 years with the program. During his time as head coach, Varesco helped guide Northwest to two State Championships (2012 and 2017). In his goodbye letter, seen below, Varesco states that he will be putting his time towards his family and cites them as the most important reason for moving on.

After lengthy thought and consultation with my family, I have made the decision to step down as the Varsity Head Baseball Coach at Northwest High School. I am now going to be able to spend time in the spring with my two daughters, my wife and my family. The amount of time that I will be able to put towards my family now is the largest and most important reason I am moving on. The Journey has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. To be able to convey and teach life lessons that transcend baseball has been nothing short of amazing. I will miss the field, the smells, the sounds, the players, the community, and more than anything my staff that took the journey with me. There are many people that I want to thank, too many, as I know I will forget some of you here, but know that truly I have not forgotten.

Actor Rich Rotella Recently Underwent Limb Lengthening Procedure To Make Him 3 Inches Taller; He is a 2002 Graduate of Northwest High School

By MCS Staff

Published May 25, 2022 at 6:14AM

Actor Rich Rotella grew up in Germantown, MD. He graduated from Northwest High School in 2002 and has gone on to star in Lionsgate’s feature comedy, “The Newest Pledge (2010).” One of his favorite gigs has been a national commercial for “TIDE Laundry” opposite iconic Betty White. And recently, he wrote, directed, and starred in the original feature film, “Marlo Lasker (2020).” Rotella’s latest role is as the star of a documentary he is filming about cosmetic limb lengthening, where he is the patient.

Though Rotella has trained in improvisation at “The Groundlings” and studied under Lee Strasberg’s disciple Eric Morris (acting coach to Johnny Depp and Jack Nicholson), he says that at 5’5 casting directors have always told him he is too short to play the lead. So on On April 19, he underwent a painful cosmetic procedure in which both of his femurs were broken, the first step in a process that will make him 3.25 inches taller, according to PEOPLE magazine. He hopes to be 5’8″ by the end of July.

MoCo History: Politics and Passion Lead to Tragedy in Germantown During 1920s Election

By Susan Soderberg

Published May 24, 2022 at 9:12AM | Updated June 25, 2023 at 4:39PM

By Susan Soderberg of the Germantown Historical Society

It was just before the election in 1920 and several men were gathered informally at the Waters General Store in Germantown discussing the pros and cons of the various candidates. When it came up that a local citizen, John Bolton, was refusing to vote, one of the men, Guy Vernon Thompson, volunteered to try to persuade him to do his civic duty.

‘Pick Your Own Strawberries’ Begins Tomorrow (5/24) at Butler’s Orchard

By MCS Staff

Published May 23, 2022 at 9:16AM

Pick Your Own Strawberries begin tomorrow (Tuesday, May 25th) at Butler’s Orchard in Germantown (22222 Davis Mill Rd). Picking is by reservation, but tickets are sold at the gate as long as space is available (it’s recommended to make a reservation).

On Thursday, May 27th, at 5:00pm, online reservations will go live for the following Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Memorial Day). Please note the season is just beginning, check back soon for prime picking info and larger quantities.

(Located) Detectives Ask For Assistance in Locating Missing Germantown Woman

By Patrick Herron

Published May 21, 2022 at 9:48PM | Updated May 23, 2022 at 5:26PM

Bain is approximately 5-feet, 6-inches tall and approximately 180 pounds. She has blond hair and blue eyes. Bain may be driving a white 2017 KIA Soul with MD tags 4DA0003. Police and family are concerned for her welfare.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Lisa Joyce Bain is asked to call the police non-emergency number at 301-279-8000 (24-hour line) or the Montgomery County Police – 5th District Investigative Section at 240-773-6237. Callers may remain anonymous.

Germantown Trucker Hauls Away $25,000 Lottery Prize

By MCS Staff

Published May 21, 2022 at 8:11AM

His route took him along Clopper Road in Germantown last week and he noticed the Lottery sign in the window of Cicilia Beer & Wine. “I bought a Mega Millions ticket and this free Pick 5 ticket came with it,” he told Lottery officials. “I wasn’t expecting that!” That surprise ticket is part of a Try Pick 5 promotion celebrating the Lottery’s newest draw game. Free quick-pick straight bet Pick 5 tickets accompany random Maryland Lottery draw game purchases through June 5.

“I had a handful of tickets to check, so I went to a store near home to scan them,” he said. The Germantown resident held nothing back when he saw what he’d won. “I let out a shout. The other customers came over, the store staff came over, we all celebrated together.” The lucky truck driver shared with us that a recent family funeral has left relatives in financial distress. He plans to use his winnings to ease their troubles.