Weekend to Weekend 11/22/07

>Events in Rockville

Thursday, November 22

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Friday, November 23

The West End, Austin Grill – Rockville, 9:30 PM. No cover. Last minute invite for The West End to play on the day after Thanksgiving. They ROCKED this stage last month. Don’t miss this chance for an awesome live show or it will be a long, cold winter until February 23rd!

Saturday, November 24

Jonny and the Stingrays, Austin Grill – Rockville, 10 PM. No cover. Blues and rock with an emphasis on blues. Local band out of Bethesda.

Thursday, November 29

Fundraising 101, Rockville Library, 1 PM – 4 PM. Free training for Montgomery County nonprofits! $49/others. The Center for Nonprofit Advancement will explain about fundraising for nonprofits including planning, researching sources, and finding a varied funding base. Register here.

Child Health and Nutrition – Preventing Childhood Obesity, Beall Elementary School, 7PM-8:30PM. Sponsored by the Counselors from Beall, College Gardens, Ritchie Park, & Twinbrook Elementary Schools. Childcare for children age 4 and older. Light refreshments.

Celeste Starchild – duo, Austin Grill – Rockville, 9:30 PM. Promises to be a dedicated effort. Great voice. Everyone will love her.

Saturday, December 1

Holiday Bazaar, Rockville Senior Center, 9 AM – 2 PM. Find something unique and special at this annual fundraiser. Handmade crafts, thrifty items, plants, books, computers, and home-baked goods. Raffle for cash, a quilt, or gift certificates. All to benefit the Senior Center.

Family Storytime, Twinbrook Library, 11 AM. All ages welcome to this family storytime for young children.

The Nutcracker, Rockville Civic Ballet, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 2 PM & 7:30 PM. $12/adult, $8 children <12 and senior citizens (60+) online -or- in person at the Theatre (Tuesday through Saturday 2 PM – 7 PM.)

JP McDermott and the Western Bop, Austin Grill – Rockville, 10 PM. You want some high-energy vintage, honky tonk, and country vocalist of the year? Then come on down to the Western Bop!

Sunday, December 2

Art Gallery Opening Reception and “Making Spirits Bright” holiday decorations, Glenview Mansion, 1 PM – 4 PM. Free. This month it’s time for the Rockille Art League Juried Members’ Winter Show with holiday musical performances:
1:15 Watkins Mill High School Chorale
2:15 Rockville Singers
3:15 Heart of Maryland Chorus

Also, the Glenview Mansion is now decked out for the holidays. If you want to get in the holiday spirit, go see the trees decorated by community groups. The Mansion is open 8:30 AM-4:30 PM Monday through Friday. Check to make sure it is open for public viewing: 240-314-8660 or www.rockvillemd.gov/glenview

The Nutcracker, Rockville Civic Ballet, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 2 PM. $12/adult, $8 children <12 or senior citizens (60+) online -or- in person at the Theatre (Tuesday through Saturday 2 PM – 7 PM.)

Email cindycgblog@gmail.com if you have a fun, educational or community event to be included in Weekend to Weekend. Include links!

We will publish event listings occurring in & around our coverage area (map) on Thursdays. The inclusion of events is at our discretion.

POTD: The Waiting

>

(With apologies to Tom Petty.) This title only makes sense if you know that I took this photo a couple of weeks ago and have been sitting on it, impatiently, until I could run it today. It is, to me, the perfect pan-holiday use of a pumpkin.

District Court Meeting Update

As those who have been following this issue know, >there was a meeting last night at City Hall called by the Town Center Action Committee to discuss the siting of the new District Court building.

The background in a nutshell is this: The state is poised to begin work placing a new — and needed — District Court building on the site of the old public library. The City is on record as having asked the state repeatedly not to place the District Court there, due to its proximity to an historic district and to a school, and due to a lack of adequate parking for the proposed structure. The state has ignored the City’s requests and continued to move forward with the property. The site is insufficient to support the Court’s needs and the proposed structure even as envisioned is a scaled-back version of what was hoped for by the state. In January, Mayor Larry Giammo sent a letter to the newly-inaugurated Governor Martin O’Malley (and County Executive Ike Leggett) asking that he look again at the issue. Governor O’Malley has made it known in a letter to the legislative delegation that, if they and local leaders can find an alternate site, he would support it. In recent weeks, a new site has become available: the old Giant building (next to the Bank of America). The City is proposing that it purchase the Giant building, and swap it with the state for the old library site, which the state owns. The state could then build a larger District Court building on the old Giant site, and there would still be room left over for some green space.

Notwithstanding the City’s protestations that date back at least to 2001, the Rockville legislative delegation (Sen. Jennie Forehand, and Dels. Kumar Barve, Luiz Simmons, and Jim Gilchrist) say that the recent objections to the “old library” site are the first they have heard of any problem with the District Court. That doesn’t mean they haven’t been listening; it may mean the state apparatus just didn’t bother to tell them.

In any event, they say, moving the building would be difficult because: a) there would be costs (estimated approximately $2 million) associated with redesigning the building to sit on a different site; b) the current “old library” plan is ready to go and at the top of the list funding list for capital funding projects and delay would (it is feared) cause it to lose its place in line and have to wait some number of years to get back to the top of the heap; c) there would be delays associated with re-working the plans (on the order of between 6 and 14 months, depending on various factors, according to the state); and d) Chief Judge Ben Clyburn evidently finds the Giant site unsuitable operationally.

The 90-minute meeting last night was meant to figure out where we were, and what needed to happen in order to achieve the City’s goal of getting the District Court to rest at the old Giant site.

There was firepower aplenty in the room. Of more than 20 attendees (people kept filtering in to the Red Maple Room so it was hard to keep count), five were current elected officials with a direct stake in this issue: Mayor Susan Hoffmann, Council Members John Britton and Phyllis Marcuccio, Delegates Simmons and Barve. City Manager Scott Ullery was also part of the official weight, giving background on the current state of play and answering key questions when needed. The two absent council members were Piotr Gajewski (who is in Poland) and Anne Robbins (who had a long-scheduled engagement but who let it be known ahead of time that she is complete agreement with the City’s desire to have the building at the Giant site).

In addition to the official folks, there were other notables: both losing candidates for mayor (Mark Pierzchala and, later, Drew Powell); and city council candidate Brigitta Mullican. Numerous other active citizens were present including a number of Rockville Central contributors and friends. Bridget Newton, former president of the West End Civic Association and current chair of the Town Center Action Committee, convened and opened the meeting.

Once the necessary pleasantries were out of the way, the meeting became a discussion between Mayor Hoffmann and Delegate Barve. Delegate Barve was asked a few times what citizens can do to help make this happen in the way they would like it to, and he repeated that it is really a negotiation between the City and the State. Here is where that negotiation, at the end of the evening, appeared to stand:

If the City can get a guarantee from the Governor that the District Court project will not lose its place in the funding queue, and that additional design costs would not have to be borne by the State, Barve and Simmons will not stand in the way of moving the Court building to the Giant site — and Barve would ask the Governor to do that.

It is up to the City, though, to make sure that the delegation is in a position to be able to make changes that won’t rile the rest of the Montgomery County legislators — after all, the District Court building is to be for the benefit of all Montgomery County residents.

Key question marks at the end of the evening were:

• Where does Senator Jennie Forehand, who did not attend the meeting, stand on this?
• Ditto Delegate Jim Gilchrist, who also could not attend (though some in the room had talked to him and he was described as “open” to the idea)
• Will the City really need to pay all of the (estimated) $2m redesign fees, when part of that redesing involves the State actually getting out of the building what it originally wanted but could not have?
• Where does Chief Judge Clyburn come down on this? (There’s a meeting scheduled between him and Mayor Hoffmann on the 29th, and presumably we will know more then).

Stay tuned for more on this issue as it moves forward. At the moment, if you are in support of this, there is one chief thing you can do: write a letter to the Governor explaining that you are in favor of the Giant site and are delighted that your legislative delegation is working toward a reasonable solution to this issue. While this is a negotiation going on in the “official” world, word from the “unofficial” world on where people stand is helpful — because, in the end, this will be a political decision and not a bureaucratic decision.

Other meeting attendees, if I got something wrong, please go ahead and make corrections in the comments section of this article.

POTD: Pink Orange Red

>

(With apologies to the Cocteau Twins.) When I lived in Maine, peak fall color was usually mid-October. Here, it seems to come a bit later.

Weekend to Weekend Special Feature

>The West End To Play Austin Grill-Rockville

Although I have announced many of The West End’s shows over the last few months, I’m not sure all our readers are “in the know” about this band. Our Rockville Central Team Owner/Leader/Head Honcho, Brad Rourke, is on guitar and also lead singer. You’ve read all his election information, now hear him sing. Monique DeFrees, a Rockville Central Team Member, along with her husband, Mike Shawn, and neighbor Randall Rose, make up this talented band.

The Austin Grill – Rockville asked them to fill in at the last minute and play this Friday, November 23rd, the day after all the turkey, at 9:30 PM until at least midnight.

Last month they truly rocked the house, standing room only in the bar. The stage at Austin Grill is fine, fine, fine, so that you can hear each lyric, chord, note and beat. Brad’s original songs are authentic bursts that leave you wondering what would be next. If you don’t yet have a copy of their first cd, Risen, you’ll be able to buy one. Don’t just take my word for it (even though I was station manager of my college station and have heard more than my fair share of bands), Smother magazine stopped by for one of their shows and did an awesome review. They are for real.

Come out to see The West End after all that holiday shopping. Enjoy the tex mex, a drink, and the Rockville crowd. You won’t be disappointed.

POTD: Autumn Leaves

>

(With apologies to Nat King Cole.) This one is for Rockville Central friend Amy.

Giving Thanks at the Inaugural Ceremony

Our new mayor and councilmembers were administered the Oath of Office while> on stage with their families at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre yesterday. Susan Hoffmann took the Oath then administered it to John Britton, Phyllis Marcuccio and Anne Mahoney Robbins.

As was first reported by Rockville Central, Piotr Gajewski was out of the country serving as a juror at the 8th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductors. His wife, Tisha, and their younger daughter were honored with seats on the stage in his absence. He will be sworn in at the December 3rd Mayor and Council Meeting.

Mayor Hoffmann began her remarks by recognizing representatives from the State, County and City. When she came to Larry Giammo, she referred to him as “former mayor”, then quickly stopped herself to check, before confirming that he was in fact “former”. Although she had already been sworn in, at that moment, it became official.

“Wow what a day, extraordinary for all of us!” she exclaimed. She said this was a new chapter, and that with respect and conciliation we could have a better tomorrow. She vowed to mend the divide, and find a cost-effective, efficient way to resolve the trash issue and move forward. She would like it to be “gentle to our environment”.

She spoke of her newly-created Rockville Citizens Transition Advisory Group to be co-chaired by representatives of both “old” and “new” Rockville. Each councilmember will appoint one person to the Group and she will choose the rest. They will produce a report with a prioritized list, which will be available for public comment.

When did she receive applause? The first round was for the benchmark energy survey she wants to complete. You might wonder why an energy survey would be so well-received but she promised that by 2020 our City would emit less carbon, thereby reducing energy costs and lowering taxes. As would be expected, there was also a big round of applause when she announced that the state of Rockville was good and she intended to keep it that way. She marveled that there were only 55 cities of our size in the entire country to get a AAA bond rating.

“This is Thanksgiving week and we have much to be thankful for,” she summarized.

As the crowd milled around the reception, you could find all of the mayoral candidates and most of the council candidates in attendance. It became apparent that we do have something for which to be grateful. Everyone came together to celebrate their participation in the electoral process and offer each other congratulations. Hopefully the goodwill will continue.

POTD: Stumped

>

(With apologies to Minor Threat.) This is at Chestnut Lodge.

Contributor Opinion: Michael Lacey — "No Basketball Courts at Fallsgrove"

>As a Fallsgrove resident, I am confused and concerned about the “vote” and plans for basketball courts, lighted or otherwise, as part of the development of Thomas Farm Community Center. Why, after the considerable concern expressed at King Farm, is another attempt place court within a residential area underway?

Fallsgrove residents were surveyed months ago on this issue. I believe that basketball was not a part of the decision and the issue was settled then. From the January 25, 2007 minutes of the Recreation and Park Advisory Board:

“Based on results received so far, the highest priority amenities are benches, shade trees, a walking/jogging path and path lights. The lowest priorities have been given to shuffleboard courts, sand volleyball and public art. . . . [M]ajor shifts in priorities [are not foreseen] as the remaining results are tabulated.”

My main concern about the location of basketball courts comes from the experience of many of my friends and neighbors at King Farm. Lighted courts within their community have brought nothing but dissatisfaction and serious concern: lights shining in people’s windows as they are trying to sleep, people gathering at late hours, loud music, fast moving cars, used condoms, and drugs. The intent of walking communities like King Farm and Fallsgrove is to foster a neighborhood feel, and the effect the courts have created has been anything but neighborly. There have been proposals to move the King Farm courts to the newly-created Mattie Stepanek Park, but the City has failed to act.

I am also concerned about the effect of bright lights on our forested area, which is bouncing back nicely as our very own nature preserve. If the court attracts the same issues that have occurred in King Farm, how safe will residents feel to use the miles of beautiful walking trails?

The residents of Fallsgrove are hard at work building a caring community with something for all, such as the Doggy Yappy Hour, Halloween Parade and the kick-off events for the Millennium Trail. Rockville and Fallsgrove are truly a great places to live and we want to maintain this quality in our parks.

Michael Lacey
Fallsgrove Resident

Rockville Central runs occasional, edited opinion pieces by contributors. Their views are not necessarily those of Rockville Central. To submit your opinion for consideration, contact us.

Rockville's Legislators

I thought it would be useful to have a list of all the Rockville state legislators — that is, the Delegates and the Senator in District 17. (And not just because there happen to be important issues right now.)>

Here they are:

• Senator Jennie Forehand website | email
• Delegate Kumar Barve website | email (interim email)
• Delegate James Gilchrist website | email
• Delegate Luiz Simmons website | email (interim email)

(“Interim email” is a non-state email for when the legislature is out of session, but I am pretty sure the state email will reach them whenever.)

These folks are part of the delegation from Montgomery County, which has its own website here. The MoCo delegation’s key leaders are:

• Delegate Chair: Brian Feldman (district 15) website | email
• Senate Chair: Rona Kramer (district 14) website | email

And, here’s a contact list for all Montgomery County Senators and Delegates.

Curious to see a map of our county’s legislative districts? Why, here it is.

POTD: Sofa

>

(With apologies to The Kinks, Kirsty MacColl, and the Kooks, among others.) On the way up Edmonston to Glenview Mansion the other day, I spotted this sad little guy, just waiting for a futon and someone to sit on him.

My Opinion: Move The District Court

>(Warning: This is a long post. And it contains a lot of my own opinion. I am open to others though…respond in the comments!)

Many in Rockville know that the current state District Court building is old, overcrowded, and in need of — well, it needs to move. Back when the new Town Square was a gleam in the eye of a few civic leaders, it seemed like there was a perfect solution: use the old public library building! (The red pushpin on this map.) Approval has recently been given for the state to go ahead on its plans to build on this site.

But, what might have been a viable option five years ago isn’t anymore, and there are far better options available. For years now, many have been working to try to stop the state from placing its new District Court building at the old library site (which is next door to City Hall and hard by Christ Episcopal School). This week’s Gazette reports that outgoing Rockville mayor Larry Giammo has proposed what sounds like a reasonable solution: swapping the old library site for the old Giant Supermarket building (next to The Pink Bank — the green pushpin on this map).

Trouble is, it seems there is just too much bureaucratic inertia behind the library site for anyone to want to move. State officials have made plans and made funding decisions based on the new District Court building being at the “old library” site.

What’s worse, some in the state legislative delegation from Montgomery County say they want it at the library, too. According to the Gazette article:

“I’m very much in support of having it at the library site,” State Sen. Jennie M. Forehand (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville said. “The entire delegation is. There’s a letter going to the governor in support of the library site. It was the right thing to do.”

And, Chief Judge of the District Court of Maryland, Ben C. Clyburn said, “They [the City] weren’t ignored,” Clyburn said. “It was their bright idea to come up with this site.”

Why the fuss? No one I talked to can say. I have a message in to Senator Forehand that was not returned yet (in her defense, it is in the middle of Special Session — if she does respond I will relay it to Rockville Central’s readers).

Mayor Giammo, referring to Judge Clyburn’s comment said, “We never suggested nor supported building the new district court on the library site. I can’t imagine what he’s referring to.” In fact, he pointed out that his 2001 campaign included a promise to work against such a move. “Had [Clyburn] bothered to pay any attention over the last six plus years, he’d know we never wanted the district court built on the library site.”

Indeed, according to a January 26, 2007 letter from the City to Governor O’Malley and County Executive Ike Leggett (and a follow-up to Governor O’Malley in April), the City raised issues with the “old library” site numerous times:

• On November 18, 2002, in a letter asking the state to take into consideration the inappropriateness of the location (backing as it does onto an historic district and a school), the lack of adequate parking, and pedestrian danger as they cross MD-28 on the way to court. Response: the state went ahead and bought the site from the County and started planning.

• On April 28, 2005, people from the Maryland Department of General Services held a meeting for proposed residents on the proposed design for the new District Court. Rockville residents loudly complained.
• On May 9, 2005, MDGS folks presented the plan to the Mayor and Council at a City Council meeting. “We strongly expressed these same concerns,” says the letter.

Later, in the April letter (at the same link; scroll down), the City says it would be willing to help out and “make the State whole” if moving to a different site resulted in new costs.

Now, it appears there is a bona fide new idea on the table. Using the Giant site would represent a great use of a parcel of land whose disposition otherwise is . . . well, it’s in doubt. And it would free up the old library for better uses, like better police quarters.

I admit, the reasons that have been expressed in opposition to using the Giant site are mystifying to me. I asked incoming Mayor Susan Hoffmann if she could imagine any real objection, and she put it this way:

The push back we are getting . . . is a concern that we might lose our place in line for a new and badly needed courthouse, that a new site will require a new design which could take up to 7 years, and that it will cost millions more to go to a new site. The State Department of General Services has done a preliminary analysis and indicates that the delay will be more like 6 months to a year for redesign and cost up to about $1 million more. In the statewide scheme of things, that is not a lot of money…and, in my estimation, certainly worth it to do the very best thing for our residents and our Town Center.

And there’s a new development. There is a recent letter from Department of Budget and Land Secretary T. Eloise Foster to some members of the state legislative delegation on the subject. She writes:

“[S]hould the legislative delegation and the local leadership come to a consensus agreement that an alternative site should be pursued, the Governor would certainly be supportive of that decision.” She goes on to say that regardless of what site is chosen the state will “work with local stakeholders to ensure that the project continues to move forward.”

In other words, the location of the District Court, and the fate of the old library, is in the hands of our representatives to the Maryland State Legislature.

A local group of citizens called the Town Center Action Team has been working on this issue for two years now. With the recent news that approval for the old library site has been given, resident Bridget Newton is spreadi
ng word of a meeting coming up at City Hall to discuss the issue. City Manager Scott Ullery will be on hand:

• WHEN: Tuesday, November 20, 2007
• WHERE: City Hall Red Maple Room (downstairs next to Public Works)
• TIME: 7:00pm

My opinion, if it is not yet obvious, is that the old Giant site is perfect and that a one-year startup delay is a small price to pay for a building that will need to last.

What about you? What do you think? Where should the new District Court go? Why?

RMHS Community, Take A Stroll Down Memory Lane

> This probably belongs in Weekend to Weekend, but we just couldn’t wait!

Take a last look at the old school; help out the new.

Friday, December 7, 2007 from 6:00 to 10:00 pm

• Tour of the OLD building – guided tours every 15 minutes from 6:00 to 7:30 pm
• Highlights of RMHS – media presentation in auditorium—6:00/6:30/7:00 pm
• Silent Auction – do your holiday shopping in the cafeteria– 6:00 to 8:00 pm
• Sock Hop – dance/listen to music from each decade in the Gym; 7-10 pm
• Alumni Concert – in auditorium starting at 7:30 pm –donations encouraged!

Ticket prices:

• Highlights of RMHS: $10/person
• Hop & Highlights of RMHS: $50/person or $75 for two
• Special pricing for RMHS faculty/staff (current and former): Sock Hop & Highlights of RMHS $25/person or $40 for two

Purchase the Highlights of RMHS dvd for $15.00 (a great stocking stuffer)

Alas, there is no online way to register, but I have scanned it and you can download the form you need to fill out here.

Weekend to Weekend 11/15/07

>Events in Rockville

Thursday, November 15

Ocio Jazz Ensemble, Twinbrook Library, 7 PM. A program of jazz and popular music from this DC –based ensemble. Recommended for adults and children over the age of 5.

Friday, November 16

A Concert of Music by Washington Area Women Composers, The Mansion at Strathmore, 11 AM. Free.. Although I do not usually include performances at Strathmore, Rockville Central Team Member, Jenny R’s friend, Winifred Hyson, is one of the composers featured. Jenny says, “It’s a really neat piece of music!” Her piece is “Under the North Portico”. Other composers are Wang An-Ming, Leslie Bennett, and Jo Lombard. This concert is presented to the community by The District of Columbia Federation of Music Clubs.

Rockville Musical Theater, Into the Woods, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 8 PM. $20 Adults, $18 Seniors (62+), $16 Children (under 18) This musical is based on a collection of fairy tales and what happens AFTER the “happily-ever after”.

Hand Painted Swingers, Austin Grill – Rockville, 9:30 PM. No cover. Local band with a pop sound and clear lyrics promoting their new CD “Speed Hump”.

Saturday, November 17

Special Pre-Thanksgiving Farmer’s Market, City of Rockville, Corner of Rt. 28 and Monroe Street, 9AM-1PM. Many readers have been telling me that the Farmer’s Market is not really ended for the season because you have this one last opportunity to purchase some extra-special harvest items for Thanksgiving. Check out Amy’s review. She finally convinced me!

Twinbrook Community Pool, Yard Sale in the pool parking lot at 13027 Atlantic Avenue, 9AM-Noon. For info YardSale@TwinbrookPool.org. Come on out and support their fundraiser!

Celebrate America Recycles Day, Rockville Library, Meeting Room #1, 11AM – 4 PM. Exhibits, demonstrations, crafts, and prizes. Don’t miss Rocco the Recycling Retriever and the Recyclemobile!

Crafts for Kids, Twinbrook Library, 1PM. The Dogwood Dogs 4H Club is doing crafts – “Ark, Ark, do Art”. It’s free and you don’t have to register. All ages.

Rockville Musical Theater, Into the Woods, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 8 PM. $20 Adults, $18 Seniors (62+), $16 Children (under 18) This musical is based on a collection of fairy tales and what happens AFTER the “happily-ever after”.

Ty Braddock, Austin Grill – Rockville, 10 PM. No cover. He’s been nominated for country vocalist of the year by the Washington Area Music Association. Check out what your mouse can do on his website!!

Sunday, November 18

Inauguration Ceremony and Reception, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 1 PM. Welcome our new Mayor and City Council at this ceremony, followed by a reception. Everyone is invited!

Meet the Author – Anthony Cohen, Rockville Library, 2 PM. Tony is a remarkable and engaging historian who has appeared on Oprah and trained her for her role in the movie ‘Beloved’. He has traveled the route of his ancestor, a runaway slave, from Savannah, Georgia to Canada. A documentary about his experience, “Patrick and Me” will be released in 2008. Tony has also written “The Underground Railroad in Montgomery County, Maryland: a History and Driving Guide” and founded the Menare Foundation.

Rockville Concert Band, F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, 4 PM – 6 PM Stars, Stripes and Sousa! The Rockville Concert Band, under the direction of Dr. Vincent Patterson, is celebrating 50 years with music of Sousa, Wagner, Cohan and others. FREE, no tickets required.

Tuesday, November 20

Open Invitation to: Town Center Action Team meeting, Rockville City Hall – Red Maple Room (enter through upper parking lot doors, make a right down hallway directly after Human Resources), 7 PM. Approval has been given to use the former Rockville Library as a District Court. The City has been trying to convince the State to use the former Giant site for the Court and the old library for City offices. Your support is needed to change the State’s plans. City Manager, Scott Ullery, and other staff will be available at this meeting.

Wednesday, November 21

Interfaith Thanksgiving Worship Service, Community Ministries of Rockville and Rockville Ministerial Alliance, St. Elizabeth Catholic Church (917 Montrose Road), 8 PM. Service featuring jazz music.

Thursday, November 22

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Austin Grill Thanksgiving Weekend Update:

Friday, November 23

The West End, Austin Grill – Rockville, 9:30 PM. No cover. Last minute invite for The West End to play on the day after Thanksgiving. They ROCKED this stage last month. Don’t miss this chance for an awesome live show or it will be a long, cold winter until February 23rd!

Saturday, November 24

Jonny and the Stingrays, Austin Grill – Rockville, 10 PM. No cover. Blues and rock with an emphasis on blues. Local band out of Bethesda.

Email cindycgblog@gmail.com if you have a fun, educational or community event to be included in Weekend to Weekend. Include links!

We will publish event listings occurring in & around our coverage area (map) on Thursdays. The inclusion of events is at our discretion.

POTD: Smashing Pumpkins

>

(With apologies to . . . well, you know.) See what can happen in these dangerous times?