Per Montgomery County:
A display of electric vehicles, a classic car show, a 5K run/walk, a parade and activities for the entire family will all be part of the free annual “Poolesville Day” from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17. The event, which has been celebrated for more than 25 years, will take place in the Whalen Commons area of Poolesville on Fisher Avenue.
The family-oriented festival traditionally attracts more than 12,000 visitors to the historic downtown. Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is expected to be among those attending this year’s event. Local physician Amar Duggirala, the only primary care medical provider in the western portion of the County Agricultural Reserve, and Rande Davis, publisher and editor of The Monocacy Monocle newspaper, will be co-grand marshals for this year’s Poolesville Day Parade.
The 5K run and 5K walk will start the day at 8 a.m. It will be staged from the Poolesville Baptist Church at 17550 West Willard Rd. The parade along Fisher Avenue will begin at 10 a.m. Entertainment featuring local bands with start at 10:45 a.m. and continue throughout the day.
This will be the fifth year that Poolesville teams with Poolesville Green for the display of electric vehicles. More than 100 vehicles have been on display in past years, most with their owners who will describe their EV experiences.
The day’s activities will include:
- Town parade with marching band
- Local musical performances
- Live Agricultural Reserve demonstrations
- Classic car show
- Electric vehicle car show
- 5K charity run
- Children’s activities: Moon bounce, pony rides, arts and crafts
- Arts and craft vendors and other exhibitors
- Food and beverages from award-winning vendors
- Kid’s Korner: fun for kids 8-and-under
- Children’s entertainment
- Falcon Lane: fun for 8-and-older
For more information on Poolesville Day, go to https://www.poolesvilleday.com/.
After the COVID-19 pandemic caused cancellations in 2020 and 2021, Independence Day fireworks and celebrations are back in a big way this year. Below is a list of all the MoCo fireworks displays that have been announced:
July 2nd:
Kensington: Mid-County Sparkles at Einstein High School (11135 Newport Mill Rd)
Per Montgomery County:
Mid-County Sparkles will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 2 with a concert by Joe Falero Band, a Latin Jazz band. Quiet Fire, a soul, rhythm and blues and rock band, will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. The fireworks display will begin at approximately 9:15 p.m. The timing of the fireworks show may change due to weather conditions. Low lawn chairs, blankets and coolers are welcome. There will be food vendors. Alcoholic beverages and pets are not permitted.
The only parking available on-site at Einstein High School will be for individuals with disabilities. Free parking and shuttle service will be provided from Westfield Wheaton, located at 11160 Veirs Mill Road. Parking at Westfield Wheaton will open at 5:30 p.m. Event goers who park at Westfield Wheaton prior to 5:30 p.m. may be subject to towing by the property owner. Shuttle service will begin at 5:30 p.m. Follow the directional signs for event parking and shuttles.
July 2nd:
Gaithersburg: Summerfest at Boher Park (506 S. Frederick Ave)
After being cancelled the past two years, Gaithersburg’s annual SummerFest returns on July 2, from 6-11:30pm.
Per the City of Gaithersburg:
A lively street festival with multiple stages of live music, great food, and plenty of activities for kids, spectacular fireworks and an illuminating SummerGlo After Party. Celebrate America’s independence with friends & family at SummerFest, Gaithersburg’s illuminating summer festival on the expansive grounds of Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm. . The free event features live music, food & activities, all leading up to a spectacular fireworks display & SummerGlo after party.
July 4:
Germantown: Germantown Glory at South Germantown Recreational Park (18000 Central Park Circle)
Per Montgomery County:
Germantown Glory will kick off on July 4 at 7 p.m. with a concert by Quiet Fire, a soul, rhythm and blues and rock band that covers hits from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. Follow the directional signs for free on-site parking. The fireworks displays will begin at approximately 9:15 p.m. at both celebrations. The timing of the fireworks shows may change due to weather conditions. Low lawn chairs, blankets and coolers are welcome at both events. There will be food vendors at both locations. Alcoholic beverages and pets are not permitted.
Sign language interpreter services and other auxiliary aids or services will be provided upon request with as much notice as possible, preferably at least three business days before the event. To request special accommodations, contact a therapeutic recreation specialist at 240-777-6870 or email [email protected].
July 4:
Poolesville: Poolesville Fourth of July Fireworks at the Soccer Fields at Hughes Rd and Sugarland
The Town of Poolesville and Upper Montgomery County Fire Department will be presenting a a fireworks show in Poolesville this July 4th. The show will take place at the soccer fields on Hughes Rd and Sugarland on Monday, July 4th (gates open at 5pm).
New food trucks will be at the event, including the Big Greek Cafe truck, Corned Beef King, Flip Side Gastro, Rosie’s Funnel Cakes, Grandma Kona’s Ice, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and more to come. There will be music by Jeff Carmella and representation from many local churches. Prohibited at the event will be alcohol, beer, and wine. Dogs and other pets will also be prohibited and coolers will be inspected if you choose to bring one.
July 4th:
Rockville’s Independence Day Celebration at King Farm (1800 Piccard Dr)
Rockville’s Independence Day Celebration is held annually at Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park in King Farm offerss wonderful spectator viewing, and ample and convenient parking for the 4th of July festivities.
The event will take place on Monday, July 4, 2022, from 7pm – 10pm. Per the City of Rockville:
Free parking is available in lots along Shady Grove, and Gaither Roads as well as on Piccard Drive. These lots are conveniently located near the event site. There is no parking available in the King Farm neighborhood.
Please use main roads such at Route 355, Gude Drive, and Shady Grove Road to access these parking lots. There will be ample signage directing people to public parking. View parking map.
General Information
- Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the event
- Bring beach chairs or blankets to ensure comfortable seating. Be considerate so that those around you can see the show too
- No chairs or blankets allowed within 100 feet of the stage.
- Outside, prepared food is permitted
- Most events will take place rain or shine. In case of inclement weather, cancellations will be posted on this page and at www.Facebook.com/CityofRockville.
Bassett’s Fine Food & Spirits at 19950 Fisher Avenue in Poolesville, which is under new ownership, will hold a “soft opening” beginning Thursday, May 12 at 11am. The restaurant, which opened in 1993, closed its doors on December 31 of last year. The restaurant is now owned by Erica Myers, who worked at Bassett’s for over 15 years before leaving to open Rio Grande Grille in Germantown in 2020. Bassett’s previous owners, who owned the restaurant the past three years, cited the pandemic and the closing of White’s Ferry as the reason it went out of business.
Myers has spent the past several months remodeling and deep cleaning the restaurant. She said that she is keeping a lot of the former menu, as well as adding new items and weekly specials. The restaurant will be open Monday and Tuesday 11am-9pm, Wednesday-Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday 9am-10pm, and Sunday 9am-9pm.
Photos of the newly renovated dining room below:
There was a critical off-road collision Wednesday evening around 7PM on the 15200 block of Partnership Road in Poolesville. Our Public Safety Correspondent Cordell Pugh reports that two juveniles were injured in a collision that occurred “well off the roadway.” One is reported to have sustained serious to critical injuries and was flown to shock trauma and one was transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
Fox 5’s Allison Papson reports that the teenagers were riding dirt bikes that collided. We will post an update when more information becomes available.
CRITICAL OFF-ROAD CRASH: ~7PM off of Partnership Road between Dawsonville and Poolesville. (@UMCVFD's area of MoCo). 2 teens hurt well off the roadway; 1 serious to critical & one with only minor injuries. Medevac 🚁 (MSP TPR) flying critical patient. #MDTraffic @HelicoptersofDC https://t.co/4glvIvnccU
— Cordell (@CordellTraffic) May 11, 2022
Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 5, 2022
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich invites residents to a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, May 21 at 11:30 a.m. to celebrate the grand reopening of the newly refreshed Montgomery County Public Libraries’ (MCPL) Maggie Nightingale Branch located at 19633 Fisher Avenue in Poolesville.
“I am pleased the Maggie Nightingale Library will reopen its doors to the community who have been waiting patiently for this critical community resource to return,” said County Executive Elrich. “With innovative upgrades as well as more accessibility for those with disabilities, the visitor experience at the Maggie Nightingale library has been greatly improved. I encourage all residents to come see and experience this newly refreshed library on May 21.”
“We are so excited to reopen Maggie Nightingale Library to its community members, who we know have been eagerly awaiting this day,” said MCPL Director Anita Vassallo. “I hope they will be as pleased as we are about all the new refurbishments.”
The refresh for the library includes the replacement of all flooring, new shelving in select areas, a new service desk, painting throughout, additional lounge seating, and replacement of the entry doors. Work was also performed to bring the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
# # #
Per Montgomery County:
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council President Gabe Albornoz were among those joining the “Crossvines” development team, consisting of the Montgomery County Revenue Authority and lead developer Weller Development Company, on Thursday, April 28, to celebrate the start of construction of the new multi-purpose facility in Poolesville that will feature a custom grape-crushing facility, a casual bistro, a special events venue and a winery.
Among those joining the formal groundbreaking ceremonies were County Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Craig Rice; Maryland State Senator Brian Feldman; Poolesville Mayor Jim Brown; Craig Beyrouty, dean of College of the Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Maryland; Keith Miller, CEO of the Montgomery County Revenue Authority; and Marc Weller, founding partner and CEO of Weller Development Company. See photos from the groundbreaking event.
“For the past two years, Montgomery County and the nation have been dominated by the impact of COVID-19, but we continued to plan for the future—and for our future economy,” said County Executive Elrich. “Crossvines is an exciting project that will change the economic prosperity of the Agricultural Reserve. As one of the only grape-crushing facilities in the region, this will open up opportunities for more landowners to grow profitable grapes and to explore winemaking as part of their future options.”
The Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve is one of the first agricultural reserves in the country. It accounts for more than one-quarter of the overall land in the County.
The Crossvines will have a custom crush facility. Its services will also be available to wine growers throughout the area.
“We are excited to welcome and introduce the region to The Crossvines,” said Mr. Miller. “The opportunities The Crossvines will create for local growers, the Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve and the state’s tourism industry will be tremendous. We look forward to welcoming growers and visitors alike as Montgomery County establishes itself as a leader in the viniculture industry.”
The Crossvines will feature acreage developed for viniculture research, education, training and promotion in partnership with educational institutions. As part of the groundbreaking event, attendees had the opportunity to sample the first wine produced from grapes grown on the Poolesville facility’s research vineyard.
“When partnering with the Montgomery County Revenue Authority and hearing the vision for this project, we knew the opportunities for this state-of-the-art facility would be amazing,” said Mr. Weller. “We are excited to break ground to create a stunning destination with a private events venue, dining and wine-making facility. The impact it will have on Montgomery County and the State of Maryland will be tremendous, and we’re proud to play a role in helping the agricultural tourism, event services, and wine making industry sectors grow.”
The County Revenue Authority, which was created in 1957, was established to construct, improve, equip, furnish, maintain, acquire, operate and finance projects devoted wholly or partially for public use, good or general welfare. It operates nine public golf courses in the County and the Montgomery County Airpark.
Weller Development is a privately-owned real estate development firm led by Marc Weller, a senior real estate executive with more than 25 years of experience developing and building residential, commercial and mixed-use real estate projects. Weller Development is the lead developer of Port Covington, a 235-acre mixed-use redevelopment project in Baltimore City that is one of the largest urban revitalization efforts in the United States. For more information on Weller, visit www.wellerdevelopment.com.
Per Montgomery County:
Montgomery County’s first adaptive kayaking pier will be dedicated at Riley’s Lock in Poolesville with a celebration from 12:30-5 p m. on Sunday, May 1, that will include music, food and free adaptive kayaking lessons. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held from 12:30-2 p.m. to dedicate the accessible pier for individuals with disabilities and the overall achievement for the disability community.
Riley’s Lock is located at towpath mile-marker 22.7 and is adjacent to Seneca Creek,The celebration of the adaptive kayaking pier will include the period from 2-5 p.m. that Team River Runner operates weekly. Team River Runner is a kayaking organization that welcomes veterans with any disability, family members of those veterans and anyone else looking to help support veterans. Free adaptive kayaking equipment and lessons will be available to the disability community on this special occasion. Advance registration is required to participate. Click here to register.
Experienced kayakers have an opportunity to compete in the 2022 Seneca Showdown race on from 9 a.m.-noon on May 1. From the event’s proceeds, 50 percent will go to Team River Runner. Click here to register for the Seneca Showdown Race.
More information about the events can be obtained by emailing Angela Fox at [email protected].
Last month the Town of Poolesville published an article stating that funding was now promised for Poolesville High School’s reconstruction and expanded gymnasium, per the County Executive’s proposed FY23 CIP Plan.
“While we still have work to do to get the full funding now promised for our high school’s reconstruction and the expanded gymnasium. The money that was promised for transfer from other projects to PHS – $13 million – is included in the County Executive’s proposed FY23 CIP plan.
The Board of Education has promised to submit an amendment to the Council to add $30 million to the budget for the project bringing the total budget to well over $100 million. We have to get the Montgomery County Council to approve it but we are well prepared to push forward on that front.”
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich will present his recommended operating budget for Fiscal Year 2023 on Tuesday, March 15th at 12:30pm.
County Councilmember Andrew Friedson recently wrote in his newsletter, “I am thrilled to report that the long-anticipated Poolesville High School Major Capital Project is on track. MCPS recommends, and the Council’s Education and Culture Committee concurs, that the project be considered for Built To Learn funding with $67,724,000 from the CE’s recommended placeholder dollars reallocated to Phase II of the Poolesville HS project.”
Below you will see renderings of some of the proposed Poolesville High School updates from a 2021 Board of Education meeting:
Existing Site Plan
Proposed Site Plan
Existing Aerial view
Proposed Aerial view
Proposed enclosed circulation connector
Proposed main entry (West Willard Rd)
South wing entry
Dining terrace
Learning landscape
A recent report from the Monocacy Monocle states that negotiations to re-open White’s Ferry are “moving into a new and hopeful phase”, according to discussions between the Loudoun County attorney Leo Rogers and White’s Ferry owner Chuck Kuhn.
According to the report, Loudoun County attorney Leo Rogers states that “the county (Montgomery) is proposing the purchase of the ferry landing, a right of way for a bike trail, room to expand the ferry landing and White’s Ferry Road, along with other transportation initiatives.”
Poolesville’s Fair Access Committee, has provided us with a statement based on the recent news of potential progress:
“The editor of the local paper The Monocle published a short piece online suggesting that there may be some movement towards a resolution of the White’s Ferry impasse. While nothing has been confirmed by Loudoun County officials if true, it could not come a moment too soon.
The prolonged cutoff of Pooleville’s “main street” due to the Ferry’s closure has had serious impacts on the lives of citizens and the operations of Poolesville area businesses. The “human” element in this story can too easily be forgotten.”
– Fair Access Committee Chairperson Link Hoewing
We recapped the saga of White’s Ferry from it’s closing to late 2021. While things are looking a bit more hopeful than they were before, many await a solution.
Bassett’s at 19950 Fisher Avenue in Poolesville will be reopening this spring under new ownership.
New owner Erika Myers signed the lease this past Monday and tells us that she hopes to be open by the end of April. The restaurant will first undergo a remodel and deep cleaning.
Myers worked at Bassett’s for over 15 years before leaving to open Rio Grande Grill in Germantown in 2020. She said that they will keep a lot of the same menu as well as add new items and weekly specials.
Bassett’s, which opened in 1993, closed its doors on December 31 of last year. Bassett’s previous owners, who owned the business the past three years, cited the pandemic and the closing of White’s Ferry as the reason the restaurant went out of business.
The Montgomery County ABS announced that its Poolesville location will be closed today, Tuesday, January 11.
The Poolesville ABS store will remain closed today because of a staffing shortage. Please visit the nearby Darnestown store at 12155 Darnestown Rd. or the Clarksburg Village store at 12051 Chestnut Branch Way. We expect Poolesville to reopen tomorrow. https://t.co/E7ISCfBm6Y.
— Alcohol Beverage Services (@ABSMoCo) January 11, 2022
January 10:
Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services announced that its location at 19710-D Fisher Avenue in Poolesville will be closed today due to staffing issues. They are advising residents to visit nearby locations in Darnestown and Clarksburg.
The ABS’s location at 16535 S Frederick Ave. in Gaithersburg (Walnut Hill), reopened today after being closed for several days last week due to the same issue.
Click here for a full list of ABS locations.
About:
For the past 70 years, the department of Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) has withstood the test of time, proudly servicing thousands of local businesses throughout Montgomery County and welcoming millions of shoppers into its retail stores. To the restaurants, hotels, bars, golf courses, independent beer and wine shops, wineries, breweries, distilleries, and so many others — thank-you for allowing ABS to serve you. To each and every shopper that has come through the doors, thank-you for your loyalty and for continually choosing the shop with ABS. To the entire Montgomery County community — ABS is honored and humbled by your support and is eagerly looking toward the future.
The Poolesville ABS store will be closed today because of a staffing shortage. Please visit the nearby Darnestown store at 12155 Darnestown Rd. or the Clarksburg Village store at 12051 Chestnut Branch Way. Get openings/closures https://t.co/E7ISCfBm6Y.
— Alcohol Beverage Services (@ABSMoCo) January 10, 2022
