Below is a list of ten of our favorite things to do in Montgomery County during the holiday season. Did we leave any of your favorites out? Let us know in the comment section!
Pro Tip! Parking is free and plentiful at rio – beat the crowds and park in the garages near Kohl’s and Target!
The Arts and Social Justice Fellowship (ASJF), presented by Strathmore with Core Partner Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, is looking toward its second year of identifying a next generation of artists with activism. The application deadline for the 2023 program has been extended to Monday, Jan. 2. The program supports youth leadership and vision at the intersection of arts and social change.
The fellowship centers youth leadership, young people’s vision of the future and building community in the face of crisis. It was created in 2021 as part of Strathmore and Woolly’s co-presentation of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower by Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon. It is seeking young artists whose activism reflects Butler’s dynamic lineage. More about the program, and the application form, can be found at 2022 Highlights (strathmore.org).
TJ Maxx has announced it is closing its Mazza Gallerie location at 5300 Wisconsin Ave. in the Friendship Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. Signage on the store reads, “Friendship Heights T.J. Maxx closing Dec. 24th. Everything is 20% off this week!”, according to a report by PoPville. Mazza Gallerie was purchased by Tishman Speyer at foreclosure auction for around $50 million back in August of 2020. The Washington Business Journal reported in 2021 that Tishman Speyer was going to redevelop the center as apartments, and that the new owners planned to keep some retail space as well as the underground parking garage.
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
MCPS Press Release: At its Dec. 6 business meeting, the Montgomery County Board of Education approved the school year calendar for 2023-2024. The calendar is responsive to community input by offering limited instructional disruptions and highlights the system’s continued investment in our employees by including six professional development learning days. Highlights for the 2023-2024 school calendar include:
The calendar maintains 182 days of instruction, including 6 built in contingency days within the school year. These dates are in addition to holiday closures required by state law, which are noted on the calendars linked below:
Historic Indigenous Recognition Event to Take Place in Montgomery County, Maryland
The Taino American Indigenous National Organization (T.A.I.N.O.) proudly announces its upcoming signature public event,
Taco Bamba at 670 Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg has announced it will open on Friday, December 16 at 9am. The new location, which will feature an all-day breakfast menu, is giving away a free Taco Bamba coffee mugs and a free cup of coffee to the first 50 customers. Gaithersburg exclusive tacos on the menu will include “the Mr. Zadir, which stuffs ground lamb and beef kafta in a flour tortilla with chipotle yogurt and chili-spiced feta slaw, and the McLovin It, which pairs crispy chicken nuggets with a chipotle barbecue sauce, hot mustard, Fresno slaw, pickled onion, and cornbread crumble.” The restaurant will be open Sunday-Thursday 9am-9pm and Friday-Saturday, 9am-10pm. Additional details below per Taco Bamba:
Victor Albisu will open his eighth location of Taco Bamba on Friday, December 16 at the Quince Orchard Shopping Center in Gaithersburg, Md. The first 50 guests will receive a complimentary branded coffee mug and a free cup of everyone’s favorite morning beverage with their order. Doors open at 9am. Taco Bamba is known for serving its breakfast menu all day, and last fall they added a complimentary coffee station to all locations. Coffee is available until mid-afternoon with any purchase.
97.1 WASH-FM is searching the DMV for the area’s best school choirs to ring in the holiday season! Per WASH-FM: The top choir from each division will win up to $5,000 towards their schools’ music program and be invited to perform at The Washington Ballet’s The Nutcracker at The Warner Theatre 12/17. The Top 3 Choir Finalists for elementary/Middle School have been announced and they include two schools in Montgomery County– North Bethesda Middle School (MCPS, Bethesda), and St. Andrew Apostle Catholic School (Private, Silver Spring). You can listen to each choir at the times listed below and vote for your favorite.
Wed 12/7: 10:00am hour, 6:00pm hour| Thu 12/8: 9:00am hour, 3:00pm hour
Per Edge: Culture of Jiu-Jitsu Academy has signed a lease with Finmarc Management, Inc. for 6,000 square feet of space within 220 Girard Street, a two-story building containing approximately 55,000 square of light industrial and flex space, and located within the Gaithersburg section of Montgomery County, Maryland. The Brazilian concept, which combines principles that instill confidence and improves physical fitness among its participants, expects to open in mid-December. Kenneth Fellows and Robert Pugh, both partners with Advisory Services for Edge, represented the landlord in this transaction, who also oversaw the overall leasing strategy which elevated this asset to 100% occupancy. Craig Kates, Director of Tenant Advisory Services for Edge, represented the tenant and Emily Heppen, Senior Director of Leasing for Finmarc, was also involved in negotiations on behalf of the landlord.
Culture of Jiu-Jitsu Academy was co-founded by partners Eric Philcox, a local businessman and Max Gimenis, a Brazil native who first became involved in the martial arts sport at age ten and eventually developed into a jiu-jitsu professional and champion. The sport, which is quickly gaining popularity among individuals ranging from youngsters to senior citizens, emphasizes self-defense training and techniques, while also integrating elements of intense physical training to achieve personal fitness.
Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today announced an agreement of over $434.5 million between JUUL Labs and 33 states and territories that resolves an investigation into the e-cigarette manufacturer’s marketing and sales practices. In addition to the financial terms, the settlement forces JUUL to comply with a series of injunctive terms restricting its marketing and sales practices. Maryland is to receive at least $13 million from the settlement.
“JUUL’s marketing practices were aimed directly at children, setting them up for a lifetime of addiction,” said Attorney General Frosh. “This settlement will prohibit JUUL from using flavors, cartoons and other marketing tactics that target kids.” JUUL was, until recently, the dominant player in the vaping market. The attorneys general contend that JUUL rose to this position by willfully engaging in an advertising campaign that appealed to youth, even though its e-cigarettes are both illegal for them to purchase and are unhealthy for youth to use. The attorneys general allege that JUUL relentlessly marketed to underage users with launch parties, advertisements using young and trendy-looking models, social media posts, and free samples. It sold its product in flavors known to be appealing to underage users. The attorneys general further allege that, to preserve its young customer base, JUUL relied on age verification techniques that it knew were ineffective.
The Board of Education approved Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight’s recommended 2023-2024 academic calendar at Tuesday’s meeting. Below you’ll see a few images regarding the calendar shared during the meeting (including a screen capture of the calendar itself) with the full video of the Board of Education meeting available to watch.
Per the presentation, there will be 182 instructional days with the first day of school for students being on Monday, August 28th and the last day for students being on Thursday, June 13th. There is a focus on building staff capacity with increased professional development days, a focus on uninterrupted schedules to create more consistent pay, an extended winter break (by one day), and a normal Thanksgiving week and Spring Break.
Per WMATA: As Metro prepares to introduce its Fiscal Year 2024 proposed budget this week, Metro today released an update for customers and stakeholders on the development of a new strategic plan, #YourMetro, The Way Forward. The plan will provide a long-term strategy and direct Metro’s day-to-day decision making over the next five plus years.
Metro has been gathering information and feedback from customers on rail, bus, and paratransit, local elected officials, employees, stakeholders, and Board Members to understand the region’s priorities for the future of Metro. The update released today outlines draft goals focused on service excellence, regional opportunity and partnership, sustainability, and talented teams.
Per the Montgomery County Board of Education: Karla Silvestre (At-Large) and Shebra Evans (District 4) will now lead the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education as President and Vice President. Evans and Silvestre were formally appointed during the Board’s business meeting on Tuesday, December 6. MCPS Board of Education new officers. Board president Karla Silvestre and vice-president Shebra Evans during the first board meeting in their new roles.
“I look forward to working collaboratively with each of you and to being an effective and productive board so that we can do our important job of providing leadership and oversight of Montgomery County Public Schools for the benefit of our students,” said Silvestre during her remarks.