Events

Per Montgomery Parks: Beyond just places to skate, roller rinks of the 70s and 80s were bustling community hubs for fashion, camaraderie, and great music — and Parks Roller Disco is harkening back to those slammin’ good times. This event will be held at Ridge Road Recreational Park on Friday, April 14 from 6 to 9 pm, at Ridge Road Recreational Park’s inline skating rink.

A live DJ will be pumping the tunes and O’Boy Pizza, Catalyst Hot Dogs, Trippy Tacos and Clayboys Shaved Ice will be selling refreshments. Grab your family, invite your friends, and be sure to wear your bell bottoms, peace signs, tie-dye, and other groovy garb. The event is free, and there will be no on-site skate rentals. Some seating will be available, but guests are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs. Can you dig it?


Gaithersburg

Per the City of Gaithersburg: At the Mayor & City Council meeting on Monday, March 20, 2023, Program Coordinator Karen Yaffe Lottes and the Emergency Shelter Mobilization Team were recognized with Employee Recognition Awards for the fourth quarter of calendar year 2022. Made up of peers from each department, Gaithersburg’s Employee Recognition Committee (ERC) reviews nominations for individuals and teams on a quarterly basis. These winners are then eligible for the annual Employee & Team of the Year Awards.

Karen Yaffe Lottes, Community Museum Program Coordinator within the Department of Parks, Recreation & Culture, was named Employee of the Fourth Quarter for her efforts to promote the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory and highlight its history through Skywatching and other programs. The Observatory is now open five to six times each year and, at one point, tripled its visitor count.


Events

The City of Gaithersburg invites you to participate in activities that celebrate & improve the environment during Gaithersburg Green Month in April, and beyond. “In addition to being fun & educational, it is also a great way for students to earn service learning credits while making our community a better place to live.”

This year’s Green Month includes a variety of activities to help protect & preserve our environment. Below is access to a list of 50 ways to be a “Better Environmental Steward”: 50 Ways to be a Better Environmental Steward


Montgomery Village

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) and Montgomery County Police responded to the Montgomery Village Shopping Center on Tuesday, March 21 for the report of a collision after a vehicle was driven off the road and into the front of The Joint Chiropractic (19218 Montgomery Village Ave). We will post an update when additional information is available. Featured photo courtesy of Moe’s Southwest Grille in Montgomery Village.


Event

Beautiful venue; great art, gifts and hand-crafted items; refreshments; and meet the award-winning painters, photographers, mixed media artists, ceramicists, fiber artists, and more – some 40 artists in all. It’s an extraordinary array of framed wall works, 3-d media including sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, and fiber pieces, and unframed prints.

Among them, you’ll see:


Gaithersburg

A Quince Orchard High School student was found unconscious in a nearby McDonald’s bathroom on Tuesday, March 21. According to Montgomery County Police, “at approximately 11:56 a.m., a Quince Orchard High school student was located unconscious in a bathroom in the 12100 block of Darnestown Road. Narcan was administered. The victim left the McDonald’s where he was stopped by an MCPD officer. He has been transported to an area hospital in stable condition.” Quince Orchard High School Principal Elizabeth L. Thomas sent the following message to Quince Orchard staff, students, and families (courtesy of FOX 5):

Feature image courtesy of Google Maps.


Silver Spring

Per MCPD: Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division have arrested 21-year-old Javier Reyes of Silver Spring and 20-year-old Brian Gaitan-Sanchez of Bladensburg for the homicide that occurred on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in the 1700 block of Hampshire Green Ln. in Silver Spring.  Reyes and Gaitan-Sanchez are accused of killing 20-year-old Walter Woods, of Takoma Park. Through the investigation, detectives identified Reyes and Sanchez as suspects.

Both were transported to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where they are being held without bond.


Events

The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck, a traveling food truck selling Hello Kitty-themed treats, will make a stop at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda on Saturday, April 8th from 10am-7pm. The truck will be located near The Gap on Grand Park Avenue. Treats like cookies, madeleines, macarons, clothing, bags, all decorated with Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters, will be available while supplies last. The truck will make nearby stops in Tyson’s Corner from 10am-7pm on Saturday, March 25th and at The Mall in Columbia on Saturday, April 1 from 10am-7pm.

The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck has been making annual trips to MoCo with its last one being almost a year ago at Bethesda Row. There are two Hello Kitty Cafe Trucks in the US, one that travels up and down the East coast, and one that travels the West coast. Additionally, there are two Hello Kitty Cafes in the US, one in Las Vegas and one in California. You can learn more about the traveling trucks here.


Gaithersburg

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services and Montgomery County Police responded to a collision involving an overturned vehicle on Tuesday, March 21 around 1:45pm. The collision occurred on northbound I-270 at the Muddy Branch overpass in Gaithersburg. Several lanes are closed and drivers are to expect delays. We will post an update when additional information is available.

Featured image courtesy of @manu.gamboaa on Instagram.


MoCo Government

Expedited Bill 25-22, Forest Conservation – Trees, in companion with the resolution to approve Montgomery County Planning Board Regulation No. 25-22 on Forest Conservation – Trees, will amend Chapter 22A, the Forest Conservation Law, and the Planning Board’s forest conservation regulations. The Council passed an amendment to expedite the legislation.

The amendments to the Forest Conservation Law and regulations are proposed to achieve greater forest planting and forest conservation in Montgomery County, with a goal of achieving an equal or greater area of forest planted than forest removed on a Countywide level by projects subject to the Montgomery County Forest Conservation Law.


MoCo Government

Per Montgomery County: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich today announced the launch of a “Business Center,” based in the Office of the County Executive. The Business Center is a rebranded and expanded version of the County’s Business Advancement Team (BAT). It will be focused on assisting businesses looking to start, expand, or relocate in the County.  Goals for the Business Center include conducting proactive outreach to the County’s business community, reducing inefficiencies in County processes to make it easier to own and run a business, and connecting local businesses to the numerous resources available through the County. The Business Center is home to the County’s Small Business Navigator position, business liaisons, business incubator system, business grant programs, and access to resource partners.

“When COVID hit, our Business Advancement Team worked tirelessly to provide tens of millions of dollars in business grants to our hardest hit industries,” said County Executive Elrich. “As we emerged from COVID, we saw an opportunity to expand the team and shift its focus from pandemic assistance to proactive and responsive customer service for our businesses. We are one of the most diverse communities in the entire nation, with businesses that reflect this diversity. Our County is full of assets for businesses, but we recognize that we must compete in a regional and global community. The Business Center is going to give us the edge to better support our local businesses, work with our partners in and out of government to attract new businesses, and help our business community succeed, create jobs, and grow our economy.”


Derwood

Charlie’s Pizza and Subs will be taking over the current Sam’s Pizza & Subs location at 15855 Redland Rd (off of Frederick Rd) in Derwood. The sale became official as of Wednesday March 14, 2023, but the restaurant will continue to operate as Sam’s until March 29, 2023 when the name officially changes to Charlie’s Pizza and Subs.

The change will come with a new name and new hours. Charlie’s will be open daily and will serve beer and wine for dine-in and carry out. The restaurant is currently working on delivery of beer and wine as well. The new menu, which will be available next week, will offer many of the selections currently on the Sam’s menu as well as fresh wraps (chicken, shrimp, Caeser), Maryland crab cakes, and more.