Last month we reported that signage was up for No Regrets Pizza Co. at 5454 Nicholson Lane, on the lower level of the Harwood Flats apartment building in North Bethesda. We’re told the restaurant will offer both artisan New York and Roman Al Teglia-style pizzas. According to No Regrets, they will serve both pizzas by the slice or whole for lunch and then switch to full wait service for dinner, serving full pies along with homemade pasta and desserts.
No Regrets also plans to have a “high-end craft cocktail” bar that will carry several Montgomery County brewed beers. The current estimated opening date is around March 1st. We will post an update when additional information is available.
Per Montgomery County: A variety of hikes including “Hiking with Your Dog,” a native plant sale and “Etch and Sip Hard Cider Night” are among the many special events that will be featured throughout September by Montgomery Parks.
The September nature center special events will include:
- Fall Native Plant Sales. Sept. 1-18. Maydale Nature Classroom (online only): Online sale runs through Monday, Sept. 18. Plant pickup on Saturday, Sept. 23. In-person sale at Pope Farm Nursery, 7400 Airpark Road, Gaithersburg will be held Saturday, Sept. 16–Sunday, Sept.17, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free admission. No registration is required.
- Family Nature Hikes: Fall. Wednesdays, Sept. 13–Nov. 15. 1-2:30 p.m. Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda. Explore Cabin John Regional Park with a park naturalist. The nature center’s resident animal ambassadors will make appearances. Ages 3–5. Registration required. $150.
- Virtual Family Trivia Night. Wednesday, Sept. 13. 6-7 p.m. Meadowside Nature Center, 5100 Meadowside Lane, Rockville. Gather around the table with family and friends with Quizmaster Jenn as she conducts a nature-themed trivia night for the whole family. All ages. Registration required. Free.
- Let’s Hike. Friday, Sept. 15. 6:30-8 p.m. Brookside Nature Center, 1400 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton. Adults-only evening hike in Wheaton Regional Park. Ages 18 and older. Registration required. $8.
- Hiking with Your Dog: Bark in the Park. Thursday, Sept. 21, 4-7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 24, 10 a.m.- noon. Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda. Learn how to prepare for a fun time with your dog at the virtual workshop on Thursday, Sept. 21, and then come to Locust Grove Nature Center on Sunday, Sept. 24, to put the skills into practice. Participants on Sept. 24 will receive a free doggie Swag bag. Ages 16 and older. Registration required. $10 (per session).
- Etch and Sip Hard Cider Night. Friday, Sept. 22. 5-7 p.m. Meadowside Nature Center, 5100 Meadowside Lane, Rockville. Create a personalized nature-themed pint glass piece and afterward enjoy a splash of cider on the raptor deck with a naturalist-led raptor talk. Ages 21 and older. Registration required. $20.
- Autumnal Equinox: Sunrise Stretch at the Sycamore. Saturday, Sept. 23. 6-7 a.m.
- Locust Grove Nature Center, 7777 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda. Start fall and your day taking in the healing and calming effects of nature. Ages 18 and older. Registration required. $20.
- Beginning Birding for Everybody. Saturday, Sept. 23. 9-10 a.m. Brookside Nature Center, 1400 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton. Learn birding basics on a frustration-free “flat” bird practice trail. The wildlife pond boardwalk is accessible for all budding birders. Ages 18 and older. Registration required. $7.
- Nature Center Pop-Up. Sunday, Sept. 24. 1-4 p.m. Rock Creek Regional Park, 15700 Needwood Lake Circle, Rockville. Talk with a naturalist, explore natural objects, ask questions and try out some biology-themed activities. All ages. Registration recommended. Free.
- Trip to Mt. Cuba Center. Wednesday, Sept. 27. 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Leaves from Black Hill Nature Programs, 20926 Lake Ridge Drive, Boyds. Visit the Mt. Cuba Center near Wilmington, Del., home to more than 1,000 species of native plants, many of which are threatened by extinction. Registration required. $60 ($58 for Friends of Black Hill).
- The Scoop on Poop. Thursday, Sept. 28. 10:30-11:30 a.m. Maydale Nature Classroom, 1638 Maydale Drive, Colesville. Program is designed to teach young children and their caregivers about the wildlife and nature in their own backyards through activities, explorations, games, hikes and take-home crafts. Registration required. Ages 3–5. $6.
- Escapadas de Tortugas. Saturday, Sept. 30. 10:30 a.m.-noon. Brookside Nature Center, 1400 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton. Help find a lost turtle. Follow the clues and find her. A fun scavenger hunt at the nature center. Please note: this program is in Spanish. Ages 8 and older. Registration required. $5.
Visit the Fall 2023 Montgomery Parks Program GuideGo to the Montgomery Parks event calendar for a complete list of special events and programming and to learn how to sign up using ActiveMontgomery. Stilt Street, Boyds.
Per Montgomery County: Legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, a three-time Grammy® Award winner, will highlight a full day of entertainment on two stages at the free 18th Annual Silver Spring Jazz Festival in Silver Spring downtown on Saturday, Sept. 9. The festival, which will start at 3 p.m. on Veterans Plaza, will feature performers with various types of traditional and multicultural jazz sounds.
Veterans Plaza is located at 1 Veterans Place in Silver Spring downtown, adjacent to the Silver Spring Civic Building. The festival site is easily accessible from the Silver Spring Metrorail Station and the area has considerable public parking. The festival will be held rain or shine.
The Jazz Festival will feature a brewery garden with yard games, comfortable seating, artist demonstrations and food and offerings from local breweries. Denizens Brewing, Silver Branch Brewing and Third Hill Brewing—all located in the Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment District—will serve craft beers.
The two stages on either side of Veterans Plaza will provide an opportunity for attendees to turn their chairs and immediately view the next musical performance.
The mainstage will feature:
- Crush Funk Brass Band, a traditional New Orleans brass sound mixed with D.C. funk.
- Straight-ahead jazz by Paul Carr and the Jazz Collective.
- Smooth jazz and go-go music by Marcus Johnson with Crank and Flo.
Dee Dee Bridgewater will take the main stage at 8:30 p.m. In addition to her solo career, she pursued a parallel career in musical theater, winning a Tony® Award for her role as Glinda in The Wiz in 1975. Having recently completed a run as the lead role of Billie Holiday in the off-Broadway production of Lady Day, her other theatrical credits include Sophisticated Ladies, Black Ballad, Carmen, Cabaret and the off-Broadway and West End Productions of Lady Day, for which Bridgewater received the British Laurence Olivier nomination for best actress in a musical.
Bridgewater launched The Woodshed Network, which was created to mentor, connect, support and educate women in jazz. Her commitment to support female artists was the inspiration for featuring female jazz artists on the second stage. These jazz performers will demonstrate how the traditional African American art form of jazz has influenced and been interpreted by their respective backgrounds.
Each group on the second stage will feature female lead vocalists:
- Cecilia Esquivel of CantoSur will perform Brazilian jazz and samba.
- Akua Allrich will sing in many languages including Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, Xhosa and Twi.
- Taiwanese-born Chien Chien Lu will deliver a unique sound using a vibraphone.
Schedule of performers:
- 3 p.m. Second Stage: CantoSur
- 3:30 p.m. Main Stage: Crush Funk Brass Band
- 4:15 p.m. Second Stage: Akua Allrich and the Tribe
- 5 p.m. Main Stage: Paul Carr and the Jazz Collective
- 6 p.m. Second Stage: Chien Lu and Richie Goods ‘Connected’
- 7 p.m. Main Stage: Marcus Johnson with Crank and Flo
- 8:30 p.m. Main Stage: Dee Dee Bridgewater
The Jazz Festival also puts a spotlight on Downtown Silver Spring and its many restaurants featuring a variety of cuisines. Attendees are encouraged to use public transportation and to bring a blanket and/or low back lawn chairs for seating.
“The Silver Spring Jazz Festival has something for everyone,” said Jacob Newman, director of the Silver Spring Regional Services Center. “Jazz aficionados can enjoy traditional jazz and the unique music of the internationally influenced stage. And for the public who just enjoys a good concert, we have a brewery garden, food trucks and lawn games your kids can enjoy.”
Visit the Silver Spring Jazz Festival website for more information about the event. Photos of past Silver Spring jazz festivals can be found at SS Jazz Fest Promo Materials. Photos of headliner Dee Bridgewater are available on her website.
Per Montgomery County: The 77th Damascus Community Fair, which is a present-day reminder of what the northern Montgomery County community was like many years ago, will take place Friday-Sunday, Sept. 8-10, at the Damascus Volunteer Fire Department activity center. The free fair will feature displays of top agricultural crops as the growing season hits its prime, exhibitions of home-made products, live music, exhibitions, kids’ activities and livestock and cake auctions. New this year will be the touch-a truck opportunity to get close to vehicles of many types.
The Damascus Volunteer Fire Department activity center is located at 10211 Lewis Dr. in Damascus. The fair is open through 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8. It is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9, and from 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10. The livestock and cake auction will start at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The fair will include pet shows on Saturday and Sunday. A fashion show of home sewing and needle arts clothing entries modeled by fair exhibitors will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday. A vendor area will provide an opportunity for displays by local crafters and businesses, community educational services and local organizations. More information about the Damascus Community Fair is available at https://www.damascusfair.org/.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) was dispatched to Miller Fall Rd and Muncaster Mill Rd (Gaithersburg) for a vehicle accident involving an occupied school bus with children. Two occupants from the car are being evaluated for transport and traffic is being diverted by Montgomery County Police.
According to an update by MCFRS Spokesperson David Pazos, MCFRS is transporting three adults (two from the car and the driver of the school bus) to local area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries. All 30 students on the bus are ok and are in the process of being transferred to another MCPS bus en route.
Update~MCFRS is transporting 3 adults(2 from car and driver or school bus) to local area hospitals with NLT injuries. All 30 students on the bus are ok and are in the process of being transferred to another MCPS bus en route. @DavidPazos15 @mcfrsPIO @mcfrs https://t.co/P4wyaxpJAn pic.twitter.com/ow3lYlFY2Q
— Pazos@mcfrsPIO (@DavidPazos15) September 7, 2023
Per MCPD: The Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Cold Case Unit has arrested a Prince George’s County man for a rape allegedly committed 23-years-ago and believe there may be more victims.
On July 26, 2000, at approximately 1:55 a.m., two victims walking along Montgomery Village Avenue were approached by a suspect who was armed with a handgun. The suspect, later identified as 47-year-old James Lorenzo Greene, allegedly robbed the victims of property and raped one of the victims.
Cold Case Detectives submitted evidence from the crime scene to the crime laboratory and a DNA profile was extracted from the evidence. The DNA was submitted into the Combined DNA Index System and matched to Greene.
Cold Case Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Greene, charging him with first-degree rape, armed robbery, and first-degree assault. Greene was arrested by the Repeat Offender Section on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, at his residence in Prince George’s County.
Detectives are asking for anyone who believes that they may have been a victim of Greene to contact the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.
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Per Prince George’s County Police: The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division (IAD) is actively investigating the actions of a Prince George’s County Police officer that were recorded and posted on social media. The Department is aware of two videos involving Corporal Francesco Marlett and an adult female. As soon as the agency became aware of the first video on Tuesday, IAD opened an investigation and Chief Malik Aziz decisively suspended this officer’s police powers.
As part of its investigation, the Internal Affairs Division is attempting to interview all parties involved as well as citizens with knowledge of the interactions. IAD encourages those with knowledge to please assist with the investigation by speaking with detectives. Your information could play a key role in helping us determine exactly what happened and taking appropriate action.
Once the IAD investigation is complete, the Administrative Charging Committee (ACC), which was established by Maryland law as part of the legislature’s police reform actions, will make a recommendation to Chief Aziz regarding any potential disciplinary actions. This is now standard protocol in all IAD investigations. The investigation will also be reviewed by the Police Accountability Board.
“I know the officer’s actions seen on these videos have sparked a range of emotions in the community and put a negative spotlight on this agency and the many hard-working women and men who wear our uniform. I expect every officer to conduct themselves in a way that will not dishonor this agency or this county. I assure the residents of Prince George’s County I take this matter extremely seriously,” said Chief Malik Aziz.
In 2016, a previous administration internally disciplined Corporal Marlett on sustained administrative charges of unbecoming conduct/child abuse and unbecoming conduct/assault second degree. Officer Marlett was removed from the next promotional cycle and fined $1500 for his actions. According to Maryland Judiciary Case Search, in 2019, a hearing was held in Calvert County and a judge denied a petition for a peace order after ruling there was no statutory basis and again in 2023, after a hearing in Charles County, a judge denied a petition for a final protective order after ruling there was no statutory basis. In both of those instances, we took these allegations seriously and IAD conducted administrative investigations and ruled the allegations unfounded. In the 2023 case, the ACC concurred with the findings and recommended that the charges were unfounded.
The Takoma Park Folk Festival takes place this Sunday, September 10th from 10:30am until 6:30pm at Takoma Park Middle School (schedule available below, pinch and expand). The mission of the Takoma Park Folk Festival, Inc. is to present a free annual folk festival in Takoma Park each September that celebrates the arts and the Takoma Park-Silver Spring community. The event, which is held rain or shine, presents six stages of music, a juried crafts show, international food, community nonprofit tables, and children’s games and activities. The Festival offers free shuttle buses (with wheelchair accessibility) to the Takoma Metro station.
All roads will remain open with limited access to the Takoma Park Middle School. Motorists are urged to use caution and drive slowly – there will be heavy pedestrian traffic expected on Piney Branch Road. No parking from Piney Branch to Grant to Holly Avenue Parking is limited to residential side streets. Spaces will be reserved for handicapped parking, vendors, festival staff members, musicians & artists.
The goals of TPFF are to:
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Present a day of folk music, handcrafts, and food of many traditions that can be enjoyed by folks of all ages.
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Encourage the enjoyment of the cultural and ethnic diversity of the local and wider community.
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Celebrate the wealth of musical and artistic talent found in Takoma Park and the greater Washington community.
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Raise money for programs that benefit the young people of Takoma Park and the surrounding neighborhoods.
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Encourage a sense of community and spirit of volunteerism by involving as many segments of the community as possible in producing the festival.
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Increase community awareness by providing a forum for local nonprofit organizations to distribute literature and answer questions.
Featured photo courtesy of the Takoma Park Folk Festival
