In July 2021 we let you know that New York based Mexicue, which has a nearby location at 1720 14th St NW in DC, would be coming to 4733 Elm St. in Bethesda, the former site of Gusto Farm to Street. The Mexican restaurant opened on Tuesday, June 7th with a menu featuring tacos, bowls, shareable platters, margaritas and weekend brunch. Just over six months later, the restaurant has closed permanently.
Per the Maryland Lottery: “When Edward Rybolt Jr. of Frederick realized he and his wife won $50,016 playing Powerball, he recalls being overwhelmed with excitement.
One Sunday after church, he visited his favorite Lottery retailer to buy a $10 ticket for the Oct. 29 drawing. His lucky retailer is Edgemere Convenience store located at 7308 North Point Road in Baltimore. When he scanned the ticket after the drawing, he couldn’t believe Lottery luck had really come his way.
Adonni’s Desserts, a “haven of sweets”, has opened in the Montgomery Mall food terrace. Adonni’s is owned and operated by the people behind Malia’s Kitchen, which opened a location in the food terrace earlier this year. Menu items at Adonni’s include fried Oreos, funnel cake fries, brownies, bread pudding, and an assortment of ice cream and cakes.
“My name is Roberta Hillary, I am the Head Chef and Partner of Malia’s Kitchen LLC delivering you the best “homemade” down home cooking in the DMV. After 25 years of cooking and catering it is now to take our delicious food and recipes to patrons and foodies in the Washington Metropolitan area. Malia’s Kitchen has now launched a food truck to service locations in the District and Metropolitan area, our goal is to deliver homestyle soul food with our food truck and full-service catering options. Although our primary focus is lunch & dinner, our team can also be available for corporate breakfast catering via our food truck or catering delivery services.
Summer fun starts at Good Counsel! Our Summer Camps are packed with exciting activities, sports, creativity, adventure, and unforgettable memories for campers of all ages. From the field to the classroom and everywhere in between, there’s something for everyone at Good Counsel’s Summer Camps!
Spend your summer learning, laughing, and making new friends with the Good Counsel community. Spots are filling fast so be sure to register today!
Register at: www.olgchs.org/camps
Planet Fitness at 255 Muddy Branch Rd in Gaithersburg has reopened after temporarily closing on 12/13 for renovations. Upgrades include new rubber flooring and a new Black Card Spa area. The gym’s locker rooms and bathrooms will remain closed until further notice. Planet Fitness sent the following message to members on Friday, December 30:
Planet Fitness at 13031 Wisteria Dr in Germantown underwent $1.7 million worth of renovations and was expanded by 2,200 square fee this past fall.
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As 2022 ends, we’re sharing a few of our most-read stories of the year, from June: The housing market exploded last year and the trend has continued halfway through 2022. 18632 Woodgate Place, a 7 bedroom, 8 bathroom, 5,915 SF home in Olney, was listed at $2,499,000– and it ended up selling for $2,175,000, making it the highest priced residential listing in Olney history (photos below). The home beat the previous Olney record of $2,066,986 for 16672 Bridle Ridge Lane, which sold in 2019. The Bridle Ridge house is a Toll Brothers home with 11,182 SF living space with 5 car garage on just over half an acre (0.55 acre), according to our real estate expert Nurit Coombe.
The home on Woodgate Place, which was listed by Jamie Coley and Leigh Reed of Long & Foster, is described as a “one-of-a-kind resort home with multiple additions and upgrades nestled on a cul de sac backing to acres of wooded Rock Creek parkland.” In addition to the 7 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, the home has a 6-car garage, two outdoor kitchens & outdoor bar, fire pit, sport court and horseshoes pit with lights, propane fire pit, hot tub, and heated pool with custom slide., and a pool house with lockers, two showers, two baths, sinks, and pool toy storage area. A home just outside of Olney, at 17734 Norwood Rd in Sandy Spring, is currently under contract after being listed at $2,580,000. That home has 16 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, and 13,227 SF.
As 2022 ends, we’re sharing a few of our most-read stories of the year, from September: A large house party that had sold over 600 tickets and was scheduled to take place Sunday night in Laytonsville was cancelled after the owners of the home became aware of the event and alerted Montgomery County Police. According to a Tiktok video that was promoting the event, it promised to be the “DMV’s Biggest Mansion Pool Party” and was taking place on over “3+ acres of land” with “10+ security guards.” MCPD sent out a notice to the community on Sunday afternoon, stating “An event scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 4 in the 5900 block of Sundown Rd. in Laytonsville, has been cancelled. Montgomery County Police will be present and are advising attendees to stay away from the area and contact event organizers for a refund.”
According to MCPD. “the event organizers had rented the house for what was supposed to be a private party, but they posted on social media and sold tickets to the party. Over 600 people purchased tickets. The owners of the home became aware of it, cancelled the event and made police aware of what was happening.”
As 2022 ends, we’re sharing a few of our most-read stories of the year, from March: Amazon announced on Wednesday that it plans to close all 68 of its brick-and-mortar bookstores, pop-ups and shops carrying toys and home goods (including Amazon 4 Star) in the United States and United Kingdom, per Reuters. Amazon has an Amazon 4 Star location in Montgomery Mall in Bethesda and one that was planned for Germantown, with signage at that location recently going up. A call to the Bethesda Amazon 4 Star location led to a message stating the store was temporarily closed until tomorrow. The Germantown location is no longer going to open.
Amazon also has an Amazon Books location in Bethesda, which is closed on Wednesdays. Exact dates for closures will vary by location, and Amazon stated it would help affected employees find roles elsewhere in the company. We will have closing dates for all Montgomery County location as soon as they are available. The company also stated that it would continue its focus on Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market grocery chains. An Amazon Fresh grocery store recently opened in Chevy Chase and one is planned for Gaithersburg. It was recently announced that an Amazon grocery store is in the plans for White Oak Town Center as well.
As 2022 ends, we’re sharing a few of our most-read stories of the year, from August: Mid-Atlantic families will have something fun to howl about as Great Wolf Lodge, North America’s largest family of indoor water park resorts, has announced that its newest resort in Perryville, MD (located in Cecil County, northeast of Baltimore City) is scheduled to open in August 2023. Great Wolf Lodge Maryland will be the company’s 20th resort in North America, and their largest. It will offer 700 family-friendly suites, a 126,000-square-foot indoor water park, a 57,000 square-foot entertainment center, and 12,000 square-feet of conference space. The resort is currently offering 25% off reservations at www.greatwolf.com/maryland.
Great Wolf Lodge, which broke ground in July 2021, will sit on 48 acres on the western edge of Cecil County, for what is being dubbed as “a convenient family getaway destination for guests living throughout Maryland, Philadelphia, Wilmington, and many other Mid-Atlantic and Northeast areas.” Offerings include the indoor water park that has a variety of indoor pools and slides and is open throughout the year. The adventure park touts engaging attractions for the whole family, and daily events and activities are included in the cost of your stay. Per Great Wolf Lodge:
As 2022 ends, we’re sharing a few of our most-read stories of the year, from September: “For Sale” signage is up at the Olney Ale House at 2000 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd in Olney. Owner John Roach tells us that he is looking to sell the 99-year-old building to someone that will continue to run it as the Olney Ale House restaurant. A kitchen fire caused the restaurant to shut down in 2019 and COVID-19 only compounded the issues for the restaurant. There will be additional information regarding the potential sale/reopening of the Olney Ale House in the next few weeks, according to Roach.
Back in July of 2021 it was announced that the Montgomery County Green Bank and Sandy Spring Bank would be teaming up to provide flexible financing to help the Olney Ale House re-open. Roach tells us that both financial institutions are still committed to helping the Ale House reopen. As we wait for the reopening, we wanted to share with you its history, courtesy of the Olney Ale House website: In 1923, Richard Bentley Thomas and Ethel Farquhar Thomas purchased the five acre triangular shaped piece of property from the estate of Sam Owens. The property had a four room log cabin in the middle of what is today’s parking lot. The corner was known as Davis Corner. Almost immediately construction began on a hipped-roof, pavilion-type building that would contain a kitchen, dining room and two bedrooms. This building was completed in 1924, and opened for business as “The Corner Cupboard.” They served homemade ice cream, breads, cookies, pies and cakes, as well as, sausage, scrapple and ham sandwiches from hams that were cured in their smokehouse. Garden vegetables were also grown and sold. The Corner Cupboard was a unique establishment and drew many loyal followers.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) were called to the 10400 block of Heathside Way in the Glen Club neighborhood of Potomac for a fire on the second floor of a townhouse at approximately 3pm on Friday.
According to MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer, the fire extended to the attic but the occupants of the home were able to get out of the home. A cat that was in the home was also able to escape. Per piringer, the fire started when a 2nd floor bathroom fan (vent) caught nearby combustibles on fire. There were no injuries, but approximately $100k in damage (~$75k structural and ~$25k contents). Three adults and the cat have been displaced and the Red Cross is assisting.
As of 6pm on Friday evening, crews continue to repair a water main break (video below) at MD-28 and Maryland Ave. Traffic is closed on Maryland Ave. between Fleet St. and E. Montgomery Ave. and on MD-28 from N. Washington St. to Monroe St. No businesses or residences are without water at this time.
Per Rockville Police earlier today: Water main break/sinkhole in area of E. Jefferson St and Maryland Ave near District Courthouse. Road shut down, City Public Works en route. Please avoid the area and seek alternate route. Video below by David Hsu, @Tawei25 on Instagram