The Damascus Freedom 5K is an annual community event held on the weekend closest to 9/11. This year, it’ll take place on Saturday, September 11th, with registration beginning at 7:30am.
Proceeds from the event are donated to nonprofit organizations that combine to support troops and their families, including the Wounded Warrior Foundation, USO, Fisher House, Disabled American Veterans, and Hero Dogs.
Participants can enjoy music, camaraderie and an abundance of food (including local restaurants Jimmie Cone and J&P) , but also observe moments of silence at each minute a plane crashed on September 11th, 2001.
Children will be able to play in two moon bounces and a playground, and get their faces painted or balloon items made for them.
The inaugural Damascus Freedom 5K took place on 9/11/2010. 2013 saw the debut of the Damascus Freedom youth summer run program, a free program that has trained hundreds of kids of all ages to run the 5K. Five kids as young as three years of age have completed the program and the 5K without stopping. Over 60 kids of all ages are expected to compete this year.
More information can be found in the links below.
http://damascusfreedom5k.com/
http://damascusfreedom5k.com/youthrunning/
Damascus Native Wil Armstrong Completes Cross Country Bike Ride For ALS
72 days after commencing his cross country, against the wind bike ride for ALS, Damascus native Will Armstrong has completed his trip. He started on June 26th from Rehoboth Beach, DE, and finished September 6th in First Beach La Push, Washington.
Throughout this journey, Wil updated his daily blog with his progress, experiences, and related statistics. Inspired by his mentor and former basketball coach, Rodney Lapp who has ALS, Will dedicated his cross-country journey to ALS and crowdfunded for the ALS Association.
Over the past 73 days, Wil has ridden and camped in various weather conditions. Riding in the haziness of the Canadian Wildfires in Minnesota, Montana, and North Dakota was strenuous work. He would wear a mask while riding to avoid breathing in the smoke.
After camping out in storms, Wil faced another one of Mother Nature’s obstacles, a heat wave in Montana. Morning temperatures were about 50 degrees Fahrenheit and would rise to 100+ degrees Fahrenheit by 2:00. To avoid as much of the heat wave as possible he started to wake up between at 3:30/4:00am to get going before the heat and wind picked up after noon.
He ran off of 6 packs of bagels for weeks, ate over 200 different kinds of bars (fruit bars, nature valley bars etc), and ran an impressive banana and apple count (86 bananas and 74 apples in his second month). Audio books, music playlists and educational podcasts (on crypto currency and economic theory) helped him pass time keeping his mind busy as he peddled his way through. A special shout out goes to the Home Depot theme song, he would loop the song from the commercial almost every day. He even got to apply for jobs and write up cover letters at camp.
Throughout the trip, Wil has been met with the overwhelming kindness of friends, families, and strangers. From getting to know and exchanging stories with strangers, to sleeping on strangers boats, sleeping arrangements (hotels and motels) paid by individuals along the way, camping in strangers back yards, and couch crashing.
To learn more about his daily encounters through out this trip his website is linked HERE. ALS Research donations can be found HERE. To learn more about his ride you can check out our previous article HERE.
Photo Curtesy of @wilsride Instagram
“Joe Tippett scored on a one-yard run and Jon Genua added the extra point to give No. 8 Damascus a 28-27 victory over No. 13 Annapolis in overtime last night.” – Washington Post, November 13, 1999
Now Joe Tippett has found himself starring in HBO’s Mare or Easttown, one of the most talked about mini-series’ currently on television. Tippett, who graduated from Damascus High School back in 2000, has had many roles on television and on the big screen. You may have seen him on Boardwalk Empire, The Blacklist, Bull, Chicago Justice, Rise, Dirty John, Elementary, and many other popular shows and movies.
A public Facebook post by childhood friend Adam Callaway shares a fond MoCo memory of Tippett prior to the premier of the 2018 NBC series, Rise. “In about 30 minutes, a dude I’ve been fortunate to call a great friend since we were scrappy little Damascus Cougar football teammates, plays Coach Strickland on NBC’s #rise – premiering at 10:00 pm.
Joe Tippett, I knew you were onto big things the moment you deliberately fell down the stairs at Barking Dog in Bethesda only to sell it as real. The reactions and laughter in that place were priceless. Ya sold it like a pro. Proud of the work ethic you have shown honing one hell of a talent! And yeah I admit, you were always the best on air guitar and vocals for How’s It Gonna Be back in the day too.”
In an interview with Playbill, after landing the role of Coach Sam Strickland on the NBC series Rise, Tippett credits MCPS’s Robyn Weinstein Paley with being his mentor. Paley currently leads the Theater Department at Loiederman Middle School for the Performing Arts.
The seven-episode miniseries Mare of Easttown, which stars Kate Winslet as a detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigating a local murder, will likely captivate you early on and lead you on a roller coaster of twists and turns. Tippett has earned rave reviews for his role as John Ross in the miniseries.
Montgomery County Police Investigating Vandalism valued at $500,000 – Up to $50,000 Reward Offered
Per MCPD:
For Immediate Release: Thursday, August 26, 2021
Gaithersburg, MD – Detectives from the Montgomery County Police – 5th District Investigative Section continue to investigate the April 21 vandalism to farm equipment in Damascus. The owner of the farm equipment is now offering a reward for information that identifies the subjects in this case. Tipsters providing information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible in this case are eligible for a reward of up to $50,000.
On April 21 at approximately 9:30 p.m., a suspect was observed driving onto a storage yard area of a farm located on Long Corner Road. The suspect climbed to the top of a tanker truck used to fertilize fields. The next day, the owner of the farm discovered that the liquid fertilizer in the tanker truck had been contaminated with an herbicide, but not before the truck was used to apply fertilizer to approximately 1000 acres of corn. One week later, employees on the farm discovered additional contamination of fertilizer in another piece of farm equipment.
Anyone with information regarding this vandalism is asked to call the 5th District Investigative Section at 240-773-6273. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS(8477).
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Papi’s Chicken & Grill has closed permanently in Damascus. The restaurant rebranded from “Peruvian Chicken & Grill” back in September of 2019.
Located at 26400 Ridge Rd., the restaurant offered Peruvian chicken, other Peruvian specialities like lomo saltado, and a variety of specialties that included gyros, tacos, lobster rolls, and more.
The restaurant closed its doors on Wednesday, July 18th. As of now, there is no news to report regarding possible new ownership or what will move into the location.
Two Vehicle Collision on Woodfield Rd in Damascus
Chief Spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Pete Piringer reports that there was a two car collision Thursday afternoon on Woodfied Rd near Moyer Rd.
One vehicle collided with a utility pole and power lines are down.
Two adults were transported to the hospital.
Former Damascus Football Player Bikes Across the Country Raising Money for ALS
On Saturday, June 26th Wil Armstrong, a 2016 Damascus High School graduate, commenced his cross-country bike ride “Against the Wind” from Rehoboth Beach, DE. He is expected to finish 2.5 months later in Seattle, Washington. Throughout this journey, Wil is updating his daily blog with his progress, experiences, and updates on his banana consumption count. During his cross-country journey, he is crowdfunding for the ALS Association after seeing his mentor and former basketball coach, Rodney Lapp, go through it.
Photo courtesy: @wilarmstrong4 Instagram
Wil played football for his high school’s state champion team and later played rugby at the University of Maryland. What started off as a high school job at Jimmie Cone carried over into his time at the University of Maryland, where he got his Master’s in Quantitative Finance through the Robert H. Smith School of Business through their Plus One program. With eight years under his belt, he was the Damascus Jimmie Cone’s longest tenured employee! How much more Damascus can you get?
When people ask Wil why he is taking on such an adventure he says, “Touring is a way to use my gifts to make a difference in the world, the stars are aligned, and nothing makes me feel more clear, focused, and alive.”
Photo courtesy: @wilarmstrong4 Instagram (2018 trip – biked 375 miles from Damascus, MD to Niagara Falls, CA in 4 days)
His sister Megan inspired his craze for fitness and his Eagle Scout days got him into exploring nature, camping, and cycling. Although he has an excellent fitness resume, which consists of biking from Damascus, MD to Ocean City, MD in a day (215 mi) and running his first marathon backwards, to prepare for the bike ride he read about athletes’ and Navy Seal wellness, focused on strength training, and learned new stretches to help with recovery.
Before starting his adventure, Jimmie Cone kick-started his fundraiser on Tuesday, June 22nd by matching the tips to donate towards ALS. He reached out to the outdoor equipment company Lone Peaks with his story and had about a thousand dollars worth of bags donated to him; which, he hopes to give a special in-person thank you in Washington.
The planning of this trip was like a full-time job back in March. He considered starting on the west coast. Wil decided to take on the challenge of biking against the wind patterns and wrapping up his tour while visiting national parks. Since he was limited to the summer months he is taking a far turn north to avoid the heat, which will allow him to bike one of the most beautiful roads in America, “Going-to-the-Sun Road” at Glacier National Park, Montana.
I had the opportunity of interviewing Wil Armstrong on day three as he was pedaling through Towson, MD. He said the Oliva Rodrigo album has been a frequent play and the Home Depot theme song “locks him in.” Last year it was on his Spotify top five most played songs and says he wouldn’t be surprised if he was in the top 1% of listeners. The Home Depot song has helped him get his mind off some tough hills recently. On his long rides, he listens to recommended audiobooks and listens to a lot of music suggested by those keeping up with his trip.
On his website, he encourages individuals to reach out and connect with him. His sleeping arrangements will mostly consist of camping and sleeping in his mosquito net-covered hammock, but accepts the courteous offers of mutual connections or anybody offering their hospitality even if it’s a couch to sleep on or back yard to camp in.
Wil’s Twitter (@wilarmstrongiv) automatically posts “Shared LiveTrack” links that update you on his location. You can learn more about Wil Armstrong and his journey on his website againstthewind.xyz
House Fire in Damascus Likely Caused by Lightning Strike
A house fire on Sweet Cherry Lane in Damascus last night has left a family of five displaced.
Chief Spoksperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Pete Piringer reports that the fire originated on the deck/roof of the home and was likely the result of a lightning strike during last night’s storm.
The family was able to escape with no injuries. One firefighter is reported to have suffered non life-threatening injuries.
Update – 24810 Sweet Cherry La, Damascus; Cause, under investigation; Damage $800K, incl >$50K collateral heat damage (neighbor’s houses); Area of Origin, deck/roof; 1 family (2 adults/3kids) displaced; all occupants got out prior to @mcfrs arrival, FFs encountered heavy fire https://t.co/JFTUvGruYh pic.twitter.com/rwM6D6YUCl
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) June 15, 2021
Jake Funk, Damascus Alumnus, Drafted by the Los Angeles Rams
Jake Funk broke the Maryland state record for career touchdowns when he was a student at Damascus. Now he’ll have the opportunity to break records in the NFL after being drafted by the Rams with the 5th pick of the 7th round.
His college career didn’t start out the way he hoped, as he spent his first two years seeing limited action and his next two seasons ended early due to injury after he tore the same ACL in back to back seasons.
As a fifth-year Senior last year, he prepared for the season by spending five days a week rehabbing with his brother, Josh Funk– a physical therapist who founded Rehab 2 Perform and has two locations in Montgomery County (Germantown and Bethesda).
Jake had a breakout season in 2020, rushing for over 500 yards in just 5 games due to the shortened season. He also caught 10 passes on the season and had 4 total touchdowns.
We look forward to watching him play on Sundays.
Jimmie Cone Opens for the Season
It’s Jimmie Cone Season! Every year in March 17th, Jimmie Cone opens for the season.
Jimmie Cone has been serving soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt in Damascus since 1962 (that’s almost 60 years!).
They close when the weather gets colder in the late Fall, but don’t worry…March 17th marked the first day of the 2021 Jimmie Cone season.
Though it was a little chilly/rainy for the first few days, this coming week is expected to be full of beautiful weather and temperatures in the 60s.
Jimmie Cone is located at 26420 Ridge Road in Damascus.
Julie Kaufman (2001 Graduate of Damascus High School) and Antoine White (2007 Graduate of Whitman High School) Help Guide Mount St. Mary’s Women to NCAA Tournament
Julie Kaufman grew up in Damascus and was a student-athlete at Damascus High School, where she graduated from in 2001. She played basketball at Catawba in North Carolina, where she won two championships.
Kaufman got into into coaching as a graduate assistant at Hood, before moving on to Shepherd, Seton Hill and Niagara prior to coming to Mount St. Mary’s.
She has the title of Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, and told us the dmv is a huge part of their recruiting area.”Having played basketball in Damascus and knowing a lot of coaches throughout the county has helped with our recruiting success.”
Mount Saint Mary’s Associate Head Coach, Antoine White, is also from MoCo. He graduated from Whitman High School in 2007 where he later coached JV basketball.
He also attended and played for Mount St. Mary’s men’s basketball coach, Dan Engelstad (also a Whitman graduate), at Vermont.
Mount St. Mary’s, the 15 seed, will play against 2nd seed Maryland in the Women’s NCAA tournament on Monday, March 22nd at 4pm.
