Glen Echo Carousel Reopens Tomorrow
The Dentzel Carousel at Glen Echo Park will be reopening this Saturday, May 1st at noon. The carousel was installed in the park in 1921 and underwent a complete restoration between 1983 and 2003.
Due to COVID restrictions, their policies and precautions have been modified this year. Tickets and details are available here.
Glen Echo launched its 100th Anniversary Celebration of the carousel back in February.
The carousel has been closed since the summer of 2019 due to repairs and remained closed in 2020 because of the pandemic.
“Considered one of the most beautiful carousels in the United States, the Glen Echo Park ride was installed in 1921 by the Dentzel Carousel Company of Germantown, Pennsylvania. The carousel is one of only 135 functioning antique carousels in the country and one of the few still in its original location. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the carousel is truly a Washington area treasure!”
April 7th is National Beer Day
On this day in 1933, prohibition on the sale of beer was repealed in the United States. That’s why every year on April 7th, America raises a glass to celebrate it’s favorite alcoholic beverage.
As part of National Beer Day, Boston’s Sam Adams announced that they are giving away a free beer with proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Below is a list of all the different Montgomery County breweries you can grab a pint at as part of the celebration, as well as some fun facts and articles about the MoCo beer scene.
Astro Lab Brewing: Silver Spring
Brookeville Beer Farm: Brookeville
Denizen’s Brewing Company Silver Spring
Elder Pine Brewing and Blending Co. Gaithersburg
Lone Oak Farm Brewing Co. Olney
Saints Row Brewing: Rockville
7 Locks Brewing: Rockville
Silver Branch Brewing Company Silver Spring
True Respite Brewing Company Rockville
Waredaca Brewing Company Gaithersburg
- Montgomery County’s Top 10 Selling Beer, Wine, and Spirit Lists
- In January, 7 Locks released its controversial “Surrender Donald” beer, an updated version of their popular Surrender Dorothy.
- Every wonder why you can’t buy beer at the grocery store in Montgomery County? From a 2020 article:
Back in the 1980s, a law was passed which prohibited booze from being sold in Maryland grocery stores. At the time that this law passed, four MoCo supermarkets were allowed to be the exception due to a grandfather clause: Shoppers, Giant, Safeway, and Magruder’s. However, these stores are only allowed one location each to sell beer and wine. For a while, two 7-elevens in the county also sold beer and wine, but that permission was revoked after legal battles. Currently, all counties in Maryland have dry grocery stores with the exception of : Caroline County, Prince George’s County (one location allowed per store brand), St. Mary’s County, Talbot County,Wicomico County, and Worcester County. - From January 2020, The MoCoShow Presents 355: Pilsner
Virtual Restaurant Craze Continues to Grow
Back in February we posted an article titled “Who’s Really Behind That New Restaurant on Uber Eats and Door Dash?” Since then, there has been no shortage of new virtual restaurants popping up online.
We reported on the virtual food hall by Boca Botanas, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Kitchen, Molten Cookies, and 43 Burger, a collaboration between Washington Capital Tom Wilson and Clyde’s.
Even Saved by the Bell’s Mario Lopez is getting into the virtual restaurant business with Mario’s Tortas, possibly coming to this area later this year.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell where your food is actually coming from. You may think you’re ordering from a new local spot, but there’s a good chance it’s coming from a national chain like TGIFriday’s.
Here are a few of the new virtual restaurants that have been recently added to Uber Eats and Door Dash, followed by the original list of 16 we posted.
Buster’s American Kitchen – Dave & Busters
Cosmic Wings – Applebee’s
Noodles & Greens – Firebird’s
Rotisserie Roast – Boston Market
Tuscany 2 Go – Milano’s Pizza
Wing Squad– Buca Di Beppo
Original list from our “Who’s Really Behind That New Restaurant on Uber Eats and Door Dash?” article from back in February.
- Bad Ass Breakfast Burritos – Dog Haus
- Bad Mutha Clucka – Dog Haus
- Boli’s Baked Wings- Pizza Boli’s
- Capo Italian Deli- Brickside
- Donburi Dojo- Kusshi Sushi
- Fire Belly Wings – Heavenly Wings
- Fire Burger- Firebirds
- Mariah’s Cookies- Buca Di Beppo
- MoCo Wing Co- Brew Belly
- MrBeast Burgers- Buca Di Beppo
- Plant B- Dog Haus
- Savage Burritos- Uncle Julio’s
- Tender Shack – Carrabba’s
- Tyga Bites- Buca Di Beppo
- Wild Wild Wings – Heavenly Wings
- Wing Dynasty – Heavenly Wings
WWE Superstar, Omos, Attended High School in MoCo
In less than two weeks, Omos will team with his “best friend” AJ Styles to take on The New Day for the Raw Tag Team Championship at Wrestlemania 37, but did you know that he attended high school in Rockville?
The 7’3, 335 Nigerian-born Jordan Omogbehin moved to America with his family and attended school/played basketball at Montrose Christian for the 2008/2009 and 2009/2010 school years.
He went on to attend and play for the University of South Florida before moving back to Maryland and attending/playing for Morgan State University. His college basketball career spanned from 2012 to 2015.
Omogbehin has been signed with WWE since October 2018, but will make his in-ring debut on the grandest stage of then all…Wrestlemania.
Omos wouldn’t have a shortage of people to talk MoCo with at Wrestlemania. Shane McMahon, the son of WWE chairman and owner Vince McMahon, was born in Gaithersburg. The McMahons (Vince, his wife Linda, and Shane) even lived in Montgomery Village for about a decade, and the home they owned was recently sold.
Montgomery County Public Libraries Will Begin Auto Renewing This Monday
Beginning this Monday, Montgomery County residents won’t have to worry about returning or renewing their books and media to the library by the due date.
Previously, you needed to either call your local library or log onto your online library account to renew rented materials. Now, with some exceptions, they will renew automatically. Full details from MCPL.blog:
Effective Monday, March 22, Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) will begin renewing customer materials automatically. Customers will no longer need to access their accounts online or call the library to renew their materials, with some exceptions. Materials not eligible for automatic renewal are:
- Express Books (bestsellers identified by a red Baker & Taylor or “B&T” spine label)
- Go! Kits
- Mobile hotspots
- Online Computer Library Center (also known as OCLC) interlibrary loan items
- eBooks
- e-Audiobooks
- Musical instruments
- Materials for which holds have been placed by other customers
Eligible materials will be automatically renewed a maximum of three times, with the exception of interlibrary loan materials borrowed through Marina, which can only be renewed twice.
“We are very pleased to be offering this exciting new customer service improvement to Montgomery County residents,” said MCPL Director Anita Vassallo.
All eligible customer materials will renew automatically three days prior to the respective due date. The new due date will be calculated from the original due date so customers do not lose any of their borrowing period.
When materials are automatically renewed, customers will receive a notice via email. They will also receive a notice if items on their accounts are not eligible to renew so they will know to return them to the nearest library branch.
Gaithersburg Featured Briefly (sort of) in New Blockbuster Documentary
In the 2020 documentary The Last Blockbuster, now available on Netflix, you can briefly see a return envelope with a Gaithersburg address.
The envelope is from the last days of Blockbuster when they attempted to follow the Netflix model of mail order renting.
Photo Credit: @_mdansani_
Strangely, 20897 is actually the zip code for Aspen Hill, MD.
While we have plenty of fond memories of the local Blockbusters, here at The MoCoShow we were always particularly fond of Erol’s.
Erol Onaran, a Turkish immigrant, started a video rental and electronic sales and repair company in the DMV area in the early 80s. The company, which reached 250 stores on the east coast, was sold to Blockbuster Video for $40 million in the early 90s. Click here for more on the history of Erol’s.
Last year we asked, “aside from Blockbuster, where else did you rent movies from in Montgomery County?” on Facebook. Check out some of the responses below:
https://www.facebook.com/MoCoShow/posts/2917310541706219
Hundreds of fans packed City Place Mall (now Ellsworth Place) in Silver Spring for a free Rihanna concert in 2005. At the time, ‘Pon De Replay’ was her biggest hit. We were told officials from either the mall or the concert were offering freebies to get people inside for the up and coming singer’s concert. Photos below by Sara Feldman Kuhn.
It didn’t take long for Rihanna to find more success and eventually become one of the most popular entertainers in the world. With sales of over 250 million records worldwide, Rihanna is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has earned 14 number ones and 31 top-ten singles in the United States.
Her accolades include nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, and six Guinness World Records. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012 and 2018. Forbes ranked her among the top ten highest-paid celebrities in 2012 and 2014. As of 2021, she is the wealthiest female musician, with an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion. Thanks to Sara Feldman Kuhn for sending in these awesome photos.:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cokqz8JOw-o/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Remembering Sir Walter Raleigh Inn
Sir Walter Raleigh Inn is fondly remembered for being a not-so-expensive steak house with a great salad bar that was included with your meal. Suitable for a homecoming dinner or birthday celebration, the Montgomery Village location (now the site of CVS), closed back in 2005. What many people might not know, is that Sir Walter Raleigh had multiple locations throughout the DC Metro area.
In fact, the last surviving Sir Walter Raleigh was located near College Park and was open for business all the way up until last year! During the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, the company had additional locations in Baltimore, Bethesda, Wheaton, and Alexandria, VA.
Photo of the College Park/Greenbelt location courtesy of their Facebook page.
A copy of the menu, which included prime rib, French onion soup, and lobster tails, can be found here.
Of the décor at the Wheaton location, a 1983 Washington Post review said “The decor at the inns was stamped out of the same colonial cookie cutter: the white frame “house” exterior with the electric candles in the imitation upstairs windows. The dark wood tables and the wainscotting. The pale stucco walls adorned with the collection of old farm implements, or pieces thereof. Stamped out or not, this is a comfortable place. The candlelight gives a soft glow and the carpeting yields relatively soft acoustics.”
A 1991 Baltimore Sun review said of the White Marsh location, “As enticing as the aroma was, the taste was even better. Seldom does beef served in Eastern restaurants reach this Midwestern level of tenderness and taste. “Mouth-watering” comes to mind. It was served with an equally good whipped horseradish sauce.”
While there are no more locations in the DMV, we were able to locate a Sir Walter Raleigh Inn at 22 High Street EX9 7ED East Budleigh in the United Kingdom! We spoke to someone from the UK Pub and he told us that they are a “small pub in the village where Sir Walter Raleigh was born and spent his childhood!”
Sir Walter Raleigh in England
What are some your memories of Sir Walter Raleigh Inn?
Montgomery County Has Four of The Top Ten Most Diverse Cities in the United States
Wallethub has released their “2021’s Most & Least Ethnically Diverse Cities in the U.S.” list and Montgomery County, MD once again has a strong showing.
According to Wallethub, each city was examined based on ethnicity and race, language and birthplace.
The cities (places) were Gaithersburg, Germantown, Silver Spring, and Rockville, and all four placed identically as last year.
WalletHub is a personal finance website that branched into producing research reports and surveys on topics with varying degrees of relevance to personal finance.
Read the full article at: https://wallethub.com/edu/cities-with-the-most-and-least-ethno-racial-and-linguistic-diversity/10264?fbclid=IwAR2PMMHc18q58ULSaQeMSqZF91zECU9aihTkd4G15jD6-7ORIkIr38mSOwI
MCPL Black History Month Event Schedule
Montgomery County Public Libraries is celebrating Black History Month with special events throughout February.
From MCPL.blog:
February is Black History Month, and MCPL has free online resources, books, and events to help you learn and celebrate!
If you’re looking to explore and research online we’ve got some wonderful, authoritative resources for you.
The Oxford African-American Studies Center contains over 6,000 biographies, more than 10,000 articles, and hundreds of maps, documents, images, timelines, and charts and tables of African-American life, history, and culture.
The African American Times, later the Montgomery Times, archives cover seven years of the first Prince Georges and later Montgomery County-based newspaper that covered subjects of interest to the county’s Black community. The paper ceased publication in 2002. Read the archives here.
Black History Month 2021 Events
2/13, Historical Perspectives on Slavery in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
James H. Johnston from Montgomery History discusses how slavery in the Washington D.C. area evolved differently from other areas, due to the crops being grown, and the diverse nature of Washington.
2/16, Social Justice Author Talk with Michelle H. Hall
What significant event occurred in America in 1968? Michelle H. Hall, author of “1968 Riots Through the Eyes of an Eight-Year-Old-Girl” will discuss her experiences and her book about the riots.
2/17, Lecture: Separate but Unequal – History of School Segregation in Montgomery County
Montgomery County Historical Society on the history of segregation in public schools.
2/18, The Reported Lynchings in Montgomery County
Based on the recent compilation of hundreds of digitized newspaper accounts, researcher Sarah Hedlund presents comprehensive narratives on the three documented cases of lynching in Montgomery County. Each man’s story is supported by quotes, in-person reporting, period maps, photographs, and genealogical research, in remembrance and recognition of this darker side of Montgomery County’s history.
2/22, George Crum, a Potato Chip STEM Challenge
Learn about the man who invented one of America’s favorite snack foods and join us for a potato chip themed STEM challenge!
2/25, Black History Month Trivia
Come join us and honor Black History Month by putting your knowledge to the test and celebrating African American achievements! We will cover important events as well as notable figures that impacted history as we know it.
Yarrow Mamout was a Fulani Muslim who came to Maryland on a slave ship in 1752. Jim’s book follows later generations of the family through Robert Turner Ford, who graduated from Harvard in 1923.
2/28, No Pressure Social Justice Discussion Group
For 4th-8th grade and their adult. Read a book, watch a movie, or use our digital resources to do research about your favorite Black leader or role model. We will discuss their role in social justice and play a game of Black History trivia! Join us as we learn from each other and celebrate the diversity and inclusiveness in our own community!
Aaron Tucker, a Northwest High School Graduate, Participated in Super Bowl Halftime Show
Aaron Tucker has spent the majority of his life living in Montgomery county. He attended Northwest High School where he graduated as a State Champ in Track & Field in 2017.
He currently attends the University of Central Florida in Orlando Florida and has been dancing for 6 years.
The Weeknd spent $7 million of his own money on production costs for the 14 minute show, which featured dozens of dancers. Tucker considers the Super Bowl performance one of the biggest performances of his dancing career.
