Tampa Bay’s Ross Cockrell attended Whitman High School
Earlier this week we highlighted Dorian O’Daniel– the Good Counsel graduate who will be playing in his second straight Super Bowl for the Kansas Scott Chiefs.
Today we’ve learned that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have a player with MoCo ties.
Cornerback Ross Cockrell was the 109th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, selected by the Buffalo Bills in the 4th round. Since then he has played for the Steelers, Giants, Panthers, and now the Buccaneers where he has been on the active roster since the team’s week 5 game against the Chicago Bears.
Cockrell spent his freshman year in Bethesda, attending school and playing JV football for the Whitman Vikings, where he was a cornerback abd wide receiver.
He ended up transferring to a private school in Charlotte and became a highly rated cornerback prior to signing with Duke where he reunited with his high school teammate and former Whitman standout, Anthony Young-Wiseman.
We wish both Dorian O’Daniel and Ross Cockrell the best of luck in the Super Bowl today!
Hank Dietle’s Tavern Receives Approval For Its Original Liquor License, #001
Back in February of 2018, Hank Dietle’s Tavern suffered damage after a fire, forcing it to close. Since then, a dedicated crew has been working hard to rebuild the tavern.
Earlier today, Hank Dietle’s Tavern shared this update on facebook: “Just had our ABS hearing.. approved! We’re getting license #001 back!”
Hank Dietle’s had MoCo’s very first liquor license– after the fire, there was a lot of speculation about whether they would be allowed to have that original license number again. Luckily, they learned today that they are able to keep that piece of their MoCo history!
Hank Dietle’s Tavern in Rockville was built in 1916 and first served as a general store until named “Offutt’s” until Hank Dietle took over in the 1950s. Before the fire, you’d also find a pool table, arcade games, and vintage bar furniture. As their sign outside says, they were known for serving cold beer, but the only food they served were chips and peanuts inside (though there was usually a food truck outside).
A recent update to their gofundme page shared that they finished rebuilding the drywall and plan to open up “at some point in the not too distant future” for some “live bands or at least spilling beer with the jukebox cranking.”
If you’re curious about who has liquor license #002, check out a previous post of ours where we walk you through this unique spot.
Photo of Hank Dietle’s courtesy of the “Hank Dietle’s Tavern Rides Again” facebook page. Photo is from December 2019.
By: Michelle Katz @pike.and.rozay
Brief History of “Earthoid” at MC Germantown
Back in 2019 we asked 100 MC-Germantown students if they knew what the giant globe on their campus was. Only 16 of them were aware that it is actually a water tank!
Earthoid, as it was named by students who designed the tank, is owned and maintained by the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. It holds two million gallons of water!
Per Atlas Obscura:
“In 1980, the students of Montgomery College’s Germantown campus were tasked with designing the water tank that stood on the edge of their university. After a vote, the students designed that the spherical tank would emulate the Blue Marble. It was dubbed “Earthoid.”
The school commissioned artist Peter Freudenberg, who had worked on similar spherical projects in the past, to paint the scale model globe. He used a National Geographic globe image and satellite photos from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for reference.
Two months later, the gigantic Mother Earth mural was complete. The Earthoid has gotten a new paint job since then, but still stands today and acts as a powerful symbol for environmental protection every year on Earth Day.”
The Montgomery College- Germantown newspaper is aptly named… The Globe.
Photo courtesy of The MoCoShow’s eye in the sky, @DronifyDMV
The Cicadas Are Coming… Get Ready!
If you were in this area in the early 2000s (or mid 80s) you might remember one spring where there were cicadas everywhere. These periodical cicadas, who are part of a group known as Brood X, only come out once every 17 years. You might have guessed it… they’re due for a visit this year.
These particular cicadas have a 17 year life cycle and spend most of it living as nymphs underground. Experts believe that they’ve evolved to emerge all at once because their overwhelming group presence prevents them from being eaten by predators. They would be considered easy targets otherwise due to their loud noises and larger size.
We can expect these cicadas to emerge in mid-May and stick around until the end of June– they tend to come out once the ground warms up to around 65 degrees Fahrenheit and the air is around 80 degrees.
Maryland also has cicadas that come around annually, often called “dog day cicadas.” These annual cicadas look very different from the 17 year cicadas that we’re expecting this year. The 17 year cicadas are orange and black, whereas the annual cicadas are dark green.
Our area isn’t the only one getting a visit– these cicadas are known to live in 15 states in the Eastern US spanning from Georgia to Michigan and out West a little to Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
Fun fact: cicadas are not poisonous to humans– they are actually edible and are considered a good source of protein by some. Experts say that they are not poisonous to dogs either, although eating too many of them might upset their stomach.
For the most part, cicadas do not cause much damage to plants. They do not eat leaves– instead they drink sap from branches and roots, which does not harm most plants. If you wish to protect your younger trees and plants, it is recommended that you put foil around the trunk of the tree (to keep them from crawling up), using insect barrier tape, or using insect barrier netting over your tree.
Brood X information courtesy of https://www.cicadamania.com/ and University of Maryland’s Home and Garden Information Center.
Featured photo courtesy of Kelly Holland @keeneyedkelly
By: Michelle Katz @pike.and.rozay
Peter Rosenberg, a MoCo Native, is Now a WWE Champion
Peter Rosenberg, 41, grew up in Chevy Chase and graduated from B-CC. He is also a University of Maryland alumni and has been a local DJ at local stations such as WPGC, WHFS, and WJFK.
In 2007 he was hired by Hot 97 in New York, where he hosts the morning show. Rosenberg has also worked for the WWE for the last few years and is the host of many podcasts. His mom was even an MCPS teacher!
Last night may have been his biggest moment, however, as he pinned R-Truth for WWE’s 24/7 championship after distracting the wrestler and delivering a low blow prior to the pin.
Though his victory may be tainted, he is currently the champ.
While you’re here, check out Vince McMahon’s former home in Montgomery Village that was recently sold.
UPDATE: Marty Hurney has been hired as a high ranking official in the front office, but the general manager position is going to former Washington cornerback, Martin Mayhew.
New Washington Football Team Executive Vice President of Football/Player Personnel, Marty Hurney, Is From Wheaton and Graduated from Good Counsel
Various news outlets reported that Marty Hurney will be the next general manager of the Washington Football Team. Washington clarified that Hurney will be the team’s Executive Vice President of Football/Player Personnel.
Hurney is a MoCo native. He’s from Wheaton and graduated from Good Counsel High School, which was also in Wheaton when he attended.
Hurney is best known for his time as the Carolina Panthers General Manager from 2002-2012 and again from 2017-2020 but got his start working in the public relations department for Washington back in 1988 when the franchise was coming off of its second Super Bowl win and was owned by Jack Kent Cooke.
Hurney was General Manager for the Panthers when they made it to the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos in 2015, losing 10-24.
Some notable draft picks for the Carolina Panthers under Hurney’s watch include; Cam Newton, Luke Keuchly, Josh Norman, Greg Hardy, Jon Beason, Ryan Kalil, and Julius Peppers.
Did You Know? Chef and Co-Owner of Full On in Rockville was on Hell’s Kitchen
Michelle Houser Harris, co-owner, chef, and manager at Full On Craft Eats & Drinks (4007 Norbeck Rd, Rockville) was a contestant on season 14 of the Fox reality show back in 2015.
Michelle was born and raised in Olney and is a graduate of L’Academie de Cuisine, the highly respected culinary school in Gaithersburg that closed in 2017.
Full On features high end sandwiches made with in-house roasted meats and homemade sauces, as well as a rotating selection of regional beer and wine. They recently started selling 32oz “crowlers” of fresh draft beer to go.
You can watch a clip of Michelle on the Hell’s Kitchen YouTube channel here.
Full On will be opening their second location later this year in Annapolis.
BONUS: Here’s a video from “Gordon” talking about our sister page MoCoSnow, as well as the real Godron Ramsay’s reaction.
Somebody’s been watching to many nightmares! https://t.co/JGD6Y0OYid
— Gordon Ramsay (@GordonRamsay) February 6, 2018
Montgomery County Releases Top 10 Selling Beer, Wine, and Spirit Lists
Per Montgomery County:
Corona Extra is the top-selling beer in Montgomery County, Barefoot wines are the leading wine sellers and Tito’s Handmade Vodka is the most popular spirit. Those products headed their respective lists of the top-selling products according to 2020 sales results released by Montgomery County’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS).
Corona Extra has been the top-selling beer brand in Montgomery County for the past five years and Barefoot has been the best-selling wine brand over the same period. Tito’s has been the best-selling liquor brand in the County for the past three years.
The lists are based on sales dollars through the ABS warehouse to private restaurants, privately owned beer and wine stores and the 26 County-operated retail stores.
The top 10 beers by sales:
- Corona Extra
- Heineken
- Modelo Especial
- Bud Light
- Miller Lite
- Coors Light
- Budweiser
- Stella Artois
- Sam Adams
- Michelob Ultra
The top 10 wine brands by sales:
- Barefoot
- Black Box
- Kendall Jackson
- Sheffield
- Turning Leaf
- Woodbridge
- Sutter Home
- Yellow Tail
- Bota Box
- Franzia
The top 10 spirits brand by sales:
- Tito’s Handmade Vodka
- Hennessy
- Jack Daniel’s
- Johnnie Walker
- Patron
- Jameson
- Bacardi Rum
- Maker’s Mark
- Grey Goose
- Smirnoff
While the top 10 brand list is similar to last year’s list, ABS reports seeing some substantial growth in other categories.
“Customers continued to turn to mainstream brands during the pandemic, but local brands have seen an exponential jump this past year,” said Melissa Davis, senior marketing officer for ABS.
This past November, ABS partnered with the Maryland Distillers Guild to promote Maryland Spirits Month. The retail stores offered 10 percent discounts on Maryland-produced spirits during the promotion campaign. Helped by the campaign, Maryland-made spirit sales in ABS stores increased by $57,007 (288 percent) for November 2020 compared to sales in November 2019. More information on this program can be viewed on ABS’s Maryland Made and Keeping it Local website pages.
ABS is the alcohol wholesaler of beer, wine and spirits for Montgomery County. ABS operates 25 beer, wine and spirits stores and one spirits-only store in Poolesville. It manages alcohol licensing, enforcement and education for more than 1,000 businesses. Generating more than $35 million in net income annually, ABS profits are used to pay down County debt with a large portion deposited in the County general fund to pay for resident services that would otherwise be funded by County tax dollars.
3/10 update: The Senate has confirmed Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general by a vote of 70-30.
Joe Biden to Nominate Bethesda-Resident Merrick Garland for Attorney General
President-elect Joe Biden has decided to nominate Bethesda-resident Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general, according to various news outlets.
The Bethesda resident was previously Former President Barack Obama nomination the Supreme Court back in March of 2016 after Antonio Scalia’s death. The nomination expired in January of 2017 and Garland was replaced by Georgetown Prep graduate, Neil Gorsuch (nominated by President Donald Trump).
Garland is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals in Washington D.C.
The New York Times writes “The choice of a judge is unusual and may reflect an effort by the president-elect to bring in an apolitical leader to bolster the Justice Department’s independence from politics.”
Wawa Delivery Now Available in Most of MoCo
When we announced that Wawa would be coming to MoCo back in May of 2019, the news was met with lots of excitement.
While the first physical Wawa location in MoCo has been delayed, you are now able to order from the convenience store known for its made to order hoagies and sandwiches.
At least one delivery app, Uber Eats, offers Wawa as an option in various Montgomery County areas. People in places like Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney, Rockville, and Silver Spring among others can place an order from Wawa and have it delivered to their homes.
Wawa offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner via delivery, as well as many of its convenience store items like canned/bottled drinks, candy, and some grocery, health, and beauty items.
The items would come from various stores, depending on your location, including Wawas in DC, Frederick County, Northern Virginia, and Prince George’s County.
The downside for those who may want some of their hot food items is that delivery takes 45 minutes+ for most areas.
New Netflix hit show Bridgerton created by Watkins Mill Alum Chris Van Dusen
By Madison Tringone
The new number one show on Netflix, Bridgerton, was created by Chris Van Dusen, a Watkins Mill alum. Bridgerton is an American streaming television period drama series created by Chris Van Dusen and produced by Shonda Rhimes. The show is based on Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton collection novels.
Taking place in the early part of the 19th century, the books follow the eight siblings in the Bridgerton family, four boys and four girls, as they seek the loves of their lives. For Van Dusen, bringing this world to life on the small screen is also about something else.
Though race isn’t discussed in the books, Van Dusen was adamant that he wanted the show to reflect the world in which we live. It’s also a central component for all of Shondaland’s shows. Bridgerton posed a unique opportunity to have a multiracial cast with a period piece. Building the world of Bridgerton for the last three years has been Van Dusen’s only focus. Van Dusen wanted to take his love for period shows that he thinks are considered traditional and conservative and “turn it into something fresh, topical and relatable” (Valenti).
Van Dusen is known for working with Shondaland and writing and producing Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. He devoured Quinn’s stories after Rhimes gave him a copy of the eight-book series three years ago to see if it might be something he’d be interested in developing. While reading, he saw elements of his favorite types of storytelling: romance, sex, intrigue, all with a powerful family at the core.
Van Dusen stated in an interview with Pay Or Wait that he wants Bridgerton to be “pure escapism…that’s something I think we could all use right now.” Behind all of the escapism, Chris Van Dusen aimed to have a modern commentary about how over the last 200 years, everything and nothing have changed, for men and women. The show was released on December 25, 2020 and has already soared to #1 in the United States.
Editor’s note: We are working on getting an interview with Van Dusen in hopes of hearing more about his time growing up in MoCo.
