Quarry House Teasing Reopening with Fun Marketing Campaign

A few years back we have you a step by step look at the Quarry House experience in a fun feature after the restaurant/bar reopened following an extended closure due to a fire.

Now Quarry House Tavern is teasing reopening for on-site dining with a fun marketing campaign that focuses on its charm and makes light of some of the difficulties the business has endured in almost 90 years of serving MoCo residents.

QHT, which is the owner of liquor license #2 (Hank Dietle’s is the proud owner of MoCo’s first liquor license), plans on reopening for on-site dining soon, but hasn’t provided an exact date yet.

Below you’ll see some of the posts that have recently made their rounds on social media. We look forward for the reopening of a Montgomery County staple.

Reopening Date for Wheaton Library Moved to June 14

Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) has announced that Wheaton Library will reopen to the public on June 14. The service hours for the branch will be:

• Monday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Tuesday: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Wednesday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Thursday: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Friday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Sunday: Closed

Wheaton Library, along with the seven additional branches reopening on June 14 and the six branches reopened to the public on June 1, will follow newly adjusted opening procedures which include no appointments, no capacity limits, and no social distance requirements.

Holds to Go service will be discontinued prior to the reopening of the branch.

More information on library openings can be found here.

Statement from Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich on the County Council Passing the Fiscal Year 2022 Operating Budget

Per Montgomery County:

For Immediate Release: Friday 21 May

Yesterday the Montgomery County Council reached a preliminary agreement on my recommended fiscal year 2022 (FY 22) operating and capital budgets. I want to thank the Council for their thoughtful review, analysis, and questions regarding my budget proposals. To have the executive and legislative branch agreeing on virtually all of the total budget is a big win for our County residents.

Over the last three budget cycles, Montgomery County has had to overcome deficits, responded to the pandemic, and now, recover from the devastating pandemic that took the lives of almost 1,500 Montgomery County residents. The emotional and economic toll on families will likely take years to recover from.

To accelerate that recovery for all County residents, I am proud that my administration has provided balanced budgets that fully fund education, expand transit, fight climate change, and keep our residents and neighborhoods safe. And we have done all that while providing a response to COVID-19 that respects the science and protects our residents.

It is important to me that the FY 22 budget fully fund education above Maintenance of Effort without raising taxes on homeowners during a year when so many families are struggling. We were able to accomplish this thanks to the assistance provided by the federal government, and the efforts of the Montgomery County Congressional Delegation – Sen. Ben Cardin, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. David Trone, and Rep. John Sarbanes. Their advocacy, votes, and political will led to much-needed assistance provided to the County Government and our one million residents. In addition, the Biden administration’s focus on providing relief to state and local governments through the American Rescue Plan has made a positive, immediate, and critical difference in Montgomery County.

I am also grateful for the hundreds of County employees who create, review, and manage our budget throughout the year. As a result of their work along with the stewardship of the County’s budget and finance departments, and the legislative oversight of the Council, Montgomery County has been a Triple-A Bond rated-County by three credit rating agencies for more than three decades.

Montgomery County continues to make progress, increase investments, and find innovations to achieve the country’s educational, environmental, economic, and public safety goals.

This progress is the result of the incredible work of our employees over the past year. Montgomery County was amongst the first and hardest hit jurisdictions by COVID-19 in the region. And today, we are one of the best in the nation to reduce case rates and roll out vaccine doses equitably. Our success today, and over the last year, is the result of a team effort.

I want to thank my colleagues on the County Council for accepting my proposed budget recommendations. I believe that we have a budget that will continue our efforts to improve the quality of life for residents throughout the County.

Lucky Strike Sets May 20th Reopening Date at Montgomery Mall

Lucky Strike, the bowling, ping pong, and billiards lounge and restaurant that opened in Montgomery Mall in March 2017, has announced on its website that it will be reopening on Thursday, May 20th.

Lucky Strike has been closed for over a year after Covid restrictions were put in place, but will be reopening in just under a week.

They offer 12 bowling lanes along with big screen TV’s to allow for watching games while you’re participating in your choice of game.

IPIC in Pike & Rose Shares Tentative Reopening Date of May 21

After being closed for over a year due to the pandemic, an assistant general manager at IPIC shared with us that the luxury theater plans to reopen towards the end of this month.

Movie goers can expect some small changes to the IPIC experience. Temperatures will be taken at the door, seats in the theater will be 6 feet apart, and capacity will be reduced.

Pillows will no longer be offered, but blankets will still be available upon request. (We were told that the ticket prices will be adjusted to reflect this change.)

For a look at what a typical evening at IPIC was like before the pandemic hit, check out our post that we wrote a while back.

More information about IPIC can be found here.

Additionally, IPIC and their associated restaurant City Perch are both hiring right now. If you’re interested, you can check out their job listings here.

Feature photo courtesy of IPIC’s instagram.

By: Michelle Katz @pike.and.rozay

Chuck E. Cheese’s Game Room Now Available at Both MoCo Locations

A few weeks ago, both MoCo Chuck E. Cheese locations reopened for gameplay after over a year of the games not being available due to the pandemic.

For a time, the locations focused on carryout food orders under ghost kitchens that operated through the restaurants- mainly selling Chuck E. Cheese pizza and wings.

Back in June, after over 30 years, Chuck E. Cheese has decided to close its Gaithersburg location. Earlier in 2020, the Wall Street Journal reported that the company was $1 billion in debt, but the company has avoided filing for bankruptcy so far.

The two locations can be found in Rockville/N. Bethesda (5270 Randolph Road) and Takoma Park (1127 University Blvd E).

Smithsonian Museums and National Zoo Reopening Plans Announced

Per the Smithsonian:

In May, we will reopen seven museums and the National Zoo. Visitors will need to reserve free timed-entry passes. Full reopening information at si.edu/visit.

Wednesday, May 5: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia

Friday, May 14: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture , National Portrait Gallery Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery

Friday, May 21: National Museum of American History , Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in DC, Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Passes are available starting today for the Udvar-Hazy Center. Passes for other locations will be available one week before their scheduled openings.

Some sites will have reduced hours. They all will have added health and safety measures, including limiting the number of people in our spaces, social distancing, face coverings, enhanced cleaning and hand-sanitizing stations. We ask visitors who are sick or feel unwell to please stay home.

Our outdoor Smithsonian Gardens have reopened. All other museums will remain closed.

The Eleanor Reopens Today in Downtown Silver Spring

The Eleanor, located at 931 Ellsworth Ave in Downtown Silver Spring will be reopening today, Thursday, April 1st at 3pm.

The Eleanor is bar/bowling lounge that features casual dining, happy hour, mini bowling and skee ball. It first opened in late February of 2020, less than a month before Covid restrictions were put in place in the county.

Per The Eleanor:

“Our doors re-open at 3pm today!!! 🎉🎉

Come see us for food, drinks, arcade games & bowling 🍔🍸🎮🎳

Details:
➖ Open 3-10pm Wednesday-Sunday
➖ Happy hour is 4-7pm daily
➖ Dine-in, patio service, takeout & delivery available
➖ Brunch coming soon!

Reservations aren’t required but they are encouraged! CALL US AT (240) 641-4955 TO BOOK A TABLE!”

The restaurant/bowling lounge has been closed for “winter break” since December 20th.

Regal Announces Opening Dates for MoCo Theaters

Movie theaters in Montgomery County have been closed since mid-March of 2020, except for AMC Theatres which opened this past week.

Regal Theaters have announced reopening dates for their theaters across the county. Among the reopening theatres are all three MoCo locations (Germantown, Rockville, and Silver Spring), but they won’t all be opening at the same time.

The Germantown location will open on Friday, May 7th. The Rockville and Silver Spring locations will be opening two weeks later, on Friday, May 21st.

As of now, Montgomery County does not allow food or drinks to be consumed in movie theaters.

Featured photo courtesy of Adam Brockett.

Amalfi Ristorante Italiano Reopens in Rockville After Over a Year

Amalfi Ristorante Italiano has reopened in Rockville after over a year of being closed. The restaurant has been around since 1977.

They put the following message out on social media regarding the opening:

“Starting this Sunday March 28th and beyond we will be offering full Carry-out service but it will only be Curbside. You must call in the Carry-out order ahead of time and then simply call us when you are parked out front and we’ll take care of the rest. For the foreseeable future we will not be offering any form of Delivery.

Below is a picture of the sign that will be posted on our Front Door with the new policies for this first phase of opening. We apologize for the inconvenience but please bear with us during these trying times. As the regulations are lessened then our policies will quickly change. We are hoping that by September we will be back to normal but we’ll just have to wait and see how everything unfolds.

WE WILL NOT BE TAKING ANY WALK-IN PARTIES. You can call ahead or book online at www.amalfirockville.com. If you are passing by or even parked outside and suddenly decide you want some Amalfi then simply call us at 301-770-7888 and quickly make a reservation. We ask that if you do have a reservation that you do not enter the restaurant until the time of your reservation. We no longer have a waiting area and are trying to limit any unnecessary foot traffic.

NEW FINALIZED MENU IS STILL UNDER REVIEW. We are still working vigorously to try and have most of your favorites by the time we open on Friday. To say we haven’t had a moments rest this week is an understatement but I guess we did have a year’s rest to get ready for such a hard week. The moment the menu is ready we will post it on Facebook and our webpage.

Now that all the new policies are out of the way we’d like to say we are beyond excited to be back in business. Get ready Rockville here comes AMALFI RISTORANTE ITALIANO : SONS OF AMALFI”

Photos courtesy of Amalfi

AMC Theatres in Gaithersburg and Wheaton to Reopen

AMC Theatres in Montgomery County have been closed for a year. On their website, they’ve announced that theatres in MoCo will be reopening on Friday, March 26th.

They will be reopening with AMC safe & clean policies, but further restrictions remain in effect that do not allow food and drink in MoCo theatres.

We expect other theatres in the county to follow suit, but with the shift many theatres took prior to the pandemic, focusing on offering more food and drink during movies, some may choose to wait until the further restrictions are lifted.