All Smiles and Roses At Rockville’s 150th Birthday Parties

James McConkey and Bernd Hinrichs

The festivities began at Glenview Mansion at noon with a greater than expected crowd. Rockville was throwing a party and the best part is always the friends who attend. A 12-member delegation from our Sister City of Pinneberg, Germany made the trip to help us celebrate, continuing one of the oldest enduring friendships in the Sister City program.

Pinneberg created a special Rockville Rose but we’ve had trouble bringing it into the country. The details of this long process are explained by Nate Carrick in his Gazette article. But the Pinneberg delegation didn’t let the lack of live roses stop them from commemorating our Sesquicentennial. They gave us a more lasting gift, a painting of Rockville Roses by Detlef Allenberg.

Burgermeister Kristin Alheit and her son

Pinneberg mayor, Kristen Alheit, emphasized how a rose shows pure lust for life, which she felt symbolized the relationship of our cities. The Rockville Rose is a very special breed with large, dark flowers which grow upright. Of the painting she said, “May this portrait express all that is important to us in the friendship between Rockville and Pinneberg.”

Mayors Phyllis Marcuccio and Kristen Alheit

When she accepted the painting, Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio explained that roses are especially important to her since her mother’s name was Rose and her middle name is Rose, “I am Phyllis Rose.”

Bernd Hinrichs, President of the German American Society of Pinneberg, explained how roses have played a significant role in society since ancient Greece. Symbolizing affection and friendship, roses stand for distinction. In ancient times everyone could be sure that what was said while standing under roses was covered by a veil of secrecy. He added, “I know why men like to give roses to women.”

Then to honor the 25th anniversary of the founding of our Sister City Corporation, our German friends gave us an actual Rockville Rose enclosed in silver, a remarkable gift which will remain mysterious and everlasting.

During the ceremonies, Rotraut Bockstahler, past President of the Rockville Sister City Corporation, explained that Sesquicentennial means six times a quarter of a century. She was glad when she found out and I’m glad to finally know!

Quite a crowd also turned out for the evening festivities in Rockville Town Center. The Rockville Jazz Band warmed up the crowd before the ceremony. People gathered throughout the Square to hear them.

Mary van Balgooy, Executive Director of Peerless Rockville, was an absolute delight as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening with her friendly and bright demeanor which brought the ceremony together.

Dick Stoner detailed the Rockville’s 150 year history but he started by referencing the names previously given to our City: Owens Crossing, Williamsburg, and Montgomery Courthouse. His list of historical facts described things, the roads and buildings. He built upon each 50 year period and created a dynamic picture of Rockville over the years.

Lt. Governor Anthony Brown noted that he saw people in the audience shaking their heads when Mr. Stoner described the three hour trip from Washington to Rockville back in the olden days of horses. But then he noted,”You don’t speak lightly of traffic in Montgomery County.” He declared Rockville a “vibrant, exciting and nationally-recognized place to live.”

Perhaps the most fun part of the ceremony was the winner of the “Rockville in 2060” Essay Contest, Anish Senapati. Mayor Marcuccio gave him the opportunity to read his essay. He pictured flying cars and lots of pollution with tall sky scrapers 200 floors high, then declared the mayor of Rockville “will be me”.

Nancy Floreen, President of the Montgomery County Council thought he would either be Chairman of the Planning Commission or President.We received proclamations from all levels of government and Mayor Marcuccio said it was overwhelming to receive “so many birthday cards”.

Phyllis Marcuccio, John Britton and Mark Pierzchala

IMPACT, a dance troupe from The Finest! moved in energetic unison then a giant birthday cake with our 150th logo was enjoyed by the crowd.

By the end of the night, it was getting a bit chilly. Throughout the day people seemed genuinely happy to see each other. Perhaps after such a long, cold winter we were especially glad to come together as a community for a good time.

The Reverend Jane Wood concluded the formal ceremony by praying, “Practice random acts of kindness, particularly to those less fortunate than yourselves.”

I only hope we will during our next 150 years as a City.

Great Hometown Crowd for Keegan Corbey

During last Friday’s show at Austin Grill Rockville, I asked Keegan Corbey if he had a day job. He replied “Funny you should ask, I quit today.” With this daring move, he’s giving music his full-time attention.

His first CD, Navigators, will be released on February 13, 2010, the same night he opens for The Association (Never My Love) at the Birchmere. This well-deserved break will launch the next phase of this local performer’s career.

Born at Holy Cross Hospital, he laid down his first dollars for a guitar at age 13 while listening to garage bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Sound Garden. After Good Counsel High School he headed to Middle Tennessee State University. He’s back in Rockville and has decided if he’s going to make it musically, now is the time.

If Friday night’s show is any indication, he’s made the right decision. His intense presence and crowd-pleasing voice kept everyone out much later than expected. Keegan’s versions of popular songs made the audience forget the orginals then his own songs caught everyone’s attention. He and Dave Speake are a well-polished acoustic guitar duo, a unified pleasure to hear. Keegan even steps up the sound with a bass drum.

Dave played the harmonica for No Cover Charge, apparently the one and only song he’s allowed to pull it out for:

Keegan’s laying it all on the line to live his dream of being a songwriter performing his original “Neo-Celtic Americana folk rock”. There’s no doubt his obvious talent will win fans with every chord.

Tickets are still available for his Birchmere show with The Association on Saturday 2/13/10 at 7:30 p.m. $35. Fans eagerly anticipate his 8 song CD next month.

Lunching In The DMV: Sushi Damo

Photo by Dskco

In her latest review on Lunching in the DMV, Dskco was out to celebrate her birthday, which meant a visit to both Susahi Damo (for dinner) and Gordon Biersch (for dessert).

I had a great birthday weekend a few weeks ago. On New Years Day, the bf took me to Rockville Town Square for dinner at Sushi Damo, dessert at Gordon Biersh and Regal to watch Avatar in 3D (go see it if you haven’t yet!).

Sushi Damo is the bf’s favorite sushi place. Located in Rockville Town Square, there’s paid parking, meter and free parking all over the place. We parked at the theater for $1 since we were going to see a movie anyway. The closest metro stop would be Rockville on the red line.

As always, Dskco entices with her photos taking you right along for the discoveries. Read to find out about Green Tea Tiramisu and her birthday good time.

Lunching in the DMV is a local Rockville blog reviewing restaurants throughout the metro DC area. Whenever, she writes about a restaurant in Rockville, we post a link to her article. She stops by all those places you wonder about to let you know whether you should. We’re happy to share her experiences with our readers.

Rockville Rings In The New Year With the Peerless Brunch

Bill Forehand in his historic sailor's uniform. Photo by Max van Balgooy.

For the first time, I attended this wonderful New Year’s tradition and was delighted to be able to speak with Max van Balgooy. Since his campaign for City Council ended, he has continued to blog at Max for Rockville but is now writing about issues, people and events. He has graciously allowed me to share his latest post, New Year Opens in Rockville With Peerless Brunch.

The Peerless Rockville New Year’s Day Brunch at Glenview Mansion was the first official event celebrating the 150th anniversary of the City of Rockville and everyone enjoyed a beautiful day, a nice mix of members and friends, and of course, lots of good food.

Although it’s a holiday, the event always draws a good crowd of community leaders, including State Senator Forehand; State Delegates Barve, Simmons, and Gilchrist; Rockville Mayor Marcuccio; Rockville Councilmembers Gajewski, Newton, and Pierzchala; and City Clerk Funkhouser. This year’s event invited people to wear something vintage and among the standouts were Bill Forehand (with a Civil War sailor’s uniform) and Cindy Cotte Griffiths (with an amazing vintage dress–satin and velvet?).

Peerless also encouraged everyone to submit their nominations for Places That Matter in Rockville (standing or not) and Peerless will be using it as a guide for events and activities for the upcoming year (Phyllis Marcuccio was actively supporting the Pump House).

Glenview Mansion is an ideal place to hold the brunch–it’s almost perfectly suited to this type of event–and it was wonderfully decorated for the holidays. Rockville is very fortunate to have such a marvelous historic venue for community events (so much better than a high school gym!). If you want to see a photoalbum from the day, click here.

Cindy Cotte Griffiths, Mark Pierzchala, and Lesley Cross. Photo by Max van Balgooy.

And yes, he’s right about the velvet on my mom’s dress but I don’t think it’s satin.

With this event, Rockville has officially started to party like we’re 150 years old. Check out the schedule.  Next Sunday the 150th Anniversary Photo Exhibit opens at Glenview Mansion from 1:30 to 3:30 PM. Don’t miss the photos from 43 residents along with a Then and Now exhibit of Rockville’s Downtown.

Stop Hunger Now by Frank Anastasi

On Saturday my son and I took part in a most amazing effort. About 80 people packed 27,500 meals, which will feed starving school children in places like Haiti, in about two hours. How could this be? Stop Hunger Now has a system that rivals the most efficient assembly line in any auto plant, that’s how. The organization gets volunteers to pack millions of meals it sends all over the world to feed starving school-age children.

Here’s how it happened. One young man arrived at Christ Episcopal Church in a large truck filled with 50 pound bags of rice, granulated soy protein, and dried vegetables this morning. He also had a dozen or so five-gallon pails of chicken flavored multi-vitamins about half the size of a golf ball. And 4,584 small, plastic bags.

Teams of five people used a standing wire rack, a funnel, and various sized plastic cups to fill each bag with the prescribed amounts of the dried food. Runners (and did we run!) shuttled small pails of filled bags from each team to weigh stations, and returned empty pails to the filling teams. Weighers weighed each bag and added or subtracted some rice so each bag met the target weight. Sealers then sealed each bag with a heating press. Packers then packed the sealed bags in boxes ready for shipment. Sustainers replenished each team’s supplies of dried food as they emptied their supply bins filling the bags.

It was the best kind of organized chaos you’ve ever seen! People yelling “Runner!” “Rice!” “Bins! We need more bins!” “Got Soy?” Slip-sliding on spilled rice underfoot. And the best – the SHN guy banging a gong when we’d hit our first thousand meals, then at five thousand, and again and again, on up to the finale. It was crazy, and so much fun.

We started getting organized and receiving instruction on what to do around 10:00 am. By 12:30, the last bags were packed. A little clean up and a lot of shaking of hands, and we were done.

So, think about it. When water is added to the food that goes into each bag and it’s boiled, you have six servings of a pretty tasty chicken-flavored rice and vegetable casserole. So you see, six times 4,584 equals about 27,500 meals! Considering that things like mud cookies (lard mixed with, yes, mud) are a staple of many starving children, it’s easy to see the huge impact that 80 people working feverishly for two hours  — and having a blast every minute — will have combating starvation around the world.

You can get in on this action, too. We were told that Christ Episcopal was the first church in Maryland to do this. Want to go next? Look up Stop Hunger Now, or contact me and I will help you find them.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Frank Anastasi

Rockville Central encourages readers to submit pieces for consideration on all sorts of things — volunteering, shopping, restaurants, performances, art, cultural events, and more. Rules: it should be in Rockville and it should be a recommendation. Get in touch with us if you would like to submit something! The more voices the better!

Zombies Shuffled Through Rockville

Zombies walked the streets of Rockville on Friday night unrecognizable to their friends. Over 30 of the undead met at the Apollo and lumbered off toward Town Square in route to the Regal Cinema to see Zombieland.

Along the way a few of the living were startled and others were nervous as the zombies limped, dragged and peered into windows. All the onlookers kept giving second, third and fourth looks. You could tell most simply wanted to know what was going on. Why were there so many scary-looking zombies and where were they going?

Bill Bird, who I met through Rockville Central, suggested we have a Zombie Walk after I mentioned Silver Spring’s festivities so we gave it a try. Luckily a hilarious Zomcom (zombie comedy) was playing and it was a fine night for a walk. Even zombies need to stay healthy with exercise.

Here’s some photos taken by multiple photographers:

What continually amazes me is how the online Rockville community meets up in person. Rockville Central is not just names on a website. It’s people in a real community – living, working and playing together. This means the zombie world to me.

Science Cafe Goes Way Down Under

Last night’s Rockville Science Cafe attracted over 30 people for dinner and “deep” conversation and gave me something new to consider. Dr. Constance Bertka started by saying “At some time or another we’ve all wondered what’s down there under the ground.”

Connie described the new Sloan Deep Carbon Observatory at the Carnegie Geophysical Laboratory which has just begun to bring researchers together from around the world as they study the nature of carbon in the earth’s interior. After a general review of the interior of the earth, Connie described the process to test for carbon and the vast microbial ecosystems found under high pressure deep in the earth. Then she challenged us to think about the possibility of life IN other planets. They might be barren on the surface but have enormous ecosystems of life in their core. I have never considered this possibility.

Everyone filled a section of the Branded 72 dining room and enjoyed the B-B-Q. Sitting in a packed restaurant for dinner during a highly informative scientific dialogue was a unique experience. People from many different fields asked questions. I was impressed with the young curious students who came up to ask questions at the end. Everyone at the Cafe was certainly excited about science.

By the time the Science Cafe was over, another group was setting up for the Wednesday night music in the other section of the dining room. But I couldn’t stay because I wanted to make it to the Twinbrook Citizins Forum. Ruth Hanessian of the Animal Exchange told me the band was good. Most nights there is so much going on in Rockville, it’s difficult to choose!

Volunteer And Join the Party

This past Friday, September 4, 2009, Rockville’s Annual Volunteer Appreciation Party festively filled the grounds of the Glenview Mansion. The weather cooperated for a perfect evening of music, hors d’Oeuvres, and thanks.

Over 1300 individuals volunteer with the City of Rockville to improve our community.

Mayor Susan Hoffmann thanked everyone for the hours given to our City. She explained the services were invaluable and the City would otherwise have difficulty staffing and funding all the programs offered without the volunteers. She also spoke about how volunteering builds relationships, shares talents, and reaches out to those needing special support. “Again, thank you, thank you, thank you!” concluded Mayor Hoffmann.

As I looked around, it was obvious that the majority of those at the party were seniors. Everyone was having a lovely time. I wasn’t quick enough to grab any of the tasty finger foods but enjoyed meeting other volunteers serving on commissions and at the senior center.

Volunteer

If you would like to join next year’s party, here are the current openings for boards and commissions. These aren’t the only way to volunteer for the City, but here are some real needs from the City’s website:

Animal Matters (one)
The Board mediates petitions; provides written recommendations to the Chief of Police and animal review official as requested; provides education and counseling on responsible ownership, maintenance and treatment of animals; and provides advice and recommendations to the Mayor and Council on matters related to the care, training, maintenance and regulation of animals within the City.

Board of Appeals (two)
This board is comprised of three members and one alternate, who are charged with the responsibility of hearing and deciding all appeals and applications for variances and special exceptions, as provided for in the Zoning Ordinance or other ordinances of the City of Rockville.

Compensation Commission (one)
The Compensation Commission determines the annual compensation for the five elected officials of the City.

Cultural Arts Commission (five)
This eleven-member commission encourages the arts and culture in the city. It recommends to the Mayor and Council appropriate programs, activities, and utilization policies of the City facilities, which will add to the further development of Rockville as a cultural center.

Environment Commission (one)
The purpose of this commission is to recommend policies and programs to the Mayor & Council relating to the environment; core to this mission is promoting a sustainable community through initiatives relating to natural resource management and development, energy efficiency, watershed stewardship and protection, pollution prevention, and public education.

Historic District Commission (one)
The Historic District Commission was created by the Mayor and Council in 1966 for the purpose of recommending the boundaries of districts that are deemed to be of historic or architectural value to the city of Rockville and with reviewing applications for construction or alterations in the historic districts.

Human Services Advisory Commission (three)
This Commission provides advice and guidance to the Mayor and Council on human service needs in Rockville and how best to address them.

Planning Commission (one)
This commission is charged with formulating a Master Plan for the City of Rockville and revising the plan when necessary. The commission also reviews and makes recommendations to the Mayor and Council on all applications for map and text amendments; reviews and makes recommendations to the Board of Appeals on all variance and special exception applications; reviews and decides applications for use permits; reviews and approves all subdivision plans; and initiates and conducts such other planning studies and functions as are necessary in the overall planning operation of the City.

Personnel Appeals Board (one)
The Board is charged, in accordance with the requirements of the Personnel Regulations, with hearing appeals filed by employees of the City of Rockville in cases of dismissal action taken by the City Manager for disciplinary reasons.

Recreation and Parks Board (one, youth applicant encouraged)
The Board is charged with encouraging the development of desirable recreation and park facilities in the City and recommending those programs for young people and adults that suitably reflect the needs of the citizens.

Rockville Seniors Inc. (one)

Sign Review Board (one)
This Board is comprised of three members and one alternate appointed by the Mayor subject to confirmation of the Council for three-year terms. The Board reviews applications for sign permits and may grant modifications from sign regulations where applicable.

Traffic and Transportation (three)
The purpose of the body is to advise the Council and the Planning Commission on all traffic matters in the City and to make appropriate recommendations.

Rockville Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors (one)
The Rockville Scholarship Foundation provides scholarship assistance to students from the Rockville community with funding from the Rockville Chamber of Commerce, corporations, individuals, civic organizations, and Montgomery College.

Uncorked Is One Big Party

When we arrived at Uncorked last Saturday at about 3:30 PM, all 2,000 commemorative glasses had already been dispersed. The staff had to resort to handing out little plastic dessert-looking cups. At $10 per admission, the event had collected over $20,000 by the time it was halfway over.

Last year when I saw all the people around the winery tables, I thought the event was crowded with long lines for mouthful-sized tastes. This year, I realized everyone was actually enthusiastically discussing the wines, not waiting in line. People were gladly standing around to share their opinions on scents and tastes. Complete strangers were enjoying each other’s opinions. From Elk Run’s “Montgomery College” to Solomon’s Island fruity wines, people would take a sip and inevitably make a comment and enter into a conversation about wine.

In the Town Square, you could sit at a table with friends and enjoy a newly purchased bottle of wine together. The purple tablecloths and large grapes were quite festive. Many of the wines in the booths were sold out by the end of the event, proving the event was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the finest wines Maryland has to offer.

All the while, you could hear the bands playing. Arty Hill and the Long Gone Daddy’s entertained Maryland Avenue then Lori Kelly brought smiles to everyone’s face on Gibbs Street. Sons of Bill stole the show as the final act on the main stage. Their youthful exuberance made me wish I was 20 again. The band wandered around the stage completely immersed in each other’s sound. Although I haven’t been to every show in Town Square, this was the first time I have witnessed the audience call for an encore. When Sons of Bill finished playing the crowd didn’t budge. The clapping and cheering continued until someone from the City announced there couldn’t be an encore. When I spoke with James Wilson he confirmed that he and his two brothers in the band have a father named Bill. He also said Rockville is “a good town and everybody’s really friendly”. I always like to hear it! But we need to allow encores even if it’s just one song.

Who made it to the demonstrations under the big tent? How was the L’Academie de Cuisine presentation by Patrice Olivon? What about the wine tasting or winemaking seminars? Were they worth it and did you learn anything?

Later in the evening when my husband and I were having dinner at Sushi Damo, I realized I hadn’t seen Divine, the woman covered in vines who comes alive after hiding in plain sight. She must not have performed in close proximity to the bands.

Although the day was hot, the wines kept everyone cool enough to enjoy a summertime afternoon while making new friends.

Quite The Show At VisArts

I must admit a prejudice, when I hear an exhibit is a “members show” I don’t hold very high expectations. Usually the show pulls from a small pool of artists so there’s not a wide range of talent. Camouflage at VisArts obliterated my bias.

The show is comprised of the work from the members of Visarts. Anyone can join and receive a discount on classes and shop purchases. The exhibition was juried by Rex Stevens from the Maryland Institute College of Art and includes photographs, collages, oils, simple graphite drawings, fused glass, and imagination.

Here’s a fun twist. You can bribe the judges to pick your favorite for Best In Show. Donate a dollar for every one of your votes, pencil in your choices on the tally sheets, and the judges will pick the artwork with the most votes.

We were lucky enough to meet Sterling “Rip” Smith who lived in Rockville for 17 years but now resides in West Virginia. Last year he came to visit and was blown away by VisArts and our new Town Center. He joined VisArts to support their impressive programs. His two photographs catch the eye. View From The Court ($150) stretches out the columns of the Supreme Court portico with the Capital building in the distance. Rip explained his process. The finished product is actually a blending of five photographs taken at different exposures, so that the entire view is un-shadowed and detailed.

Herb Perone’s photographs exude sexuality. You can’t miss it. You can’t walk away. He captures the look, the feel and the daring of an available woman without regard for norms. The woman in Color Me Blue ($350) is enticing, inviting, textured, and true. The Cat Woman (($350) is one sexy kitten.

VisArts continues the dialogue with artists by encouraging visitors to send letters to the artists. After you answer one of the questions, you place the note in the mailbox and all of the responses will be delivered at the end of the show.

• What did you notice first?
• Is there a part you don’t understand?
• Is something missing?
• Does it remind you of anything?
• Should it be bigger or smaller?
• Do you want to keep looking at it?

Down the hall a second exhibition entitled Unique Visions provides the studio artists from VisArts with a chance to spread their wings. The most shining example is Mimi Harris. Her whimsical necklaces are featured in this month’s Washingtonian magazine, but her contributions to the exhibit go beyond necklaces to reach the ceiling and adorn the walls. How could we not notice Judith Heartsong’s Can You See Me ($1,400), an extremely red peacock? Kathie Perry Lynch’s Can’t See The Forest For The Trees ($950) is a glass panel with depth of sky and birch trees reminding me of my property in the Catskills. The recycled men’s neckties woven on a floor loom by Johnnie Gins are always eye-catching and her Family Ties ($325) is no exception. (Yes, you can bring in ties and she’ll make a very personal one for you.) Alan Sislen’s archival pigment prints ($295 each) feature a curved building which is artwork all on its own making the photos beyond unusual. Although you can visit these artists in their studios and purchase their work, the exhibit combines their gifts in a unique flourish.

The kid’s room, besides having a wonderful painting by Judith Heartsong called Bright Birthday Flowers, provides shapes to trace and masks to make. Children can camouflage themselves and read some books.

The only thing camouflaged is a true understanding of the talent in these exhibitions. Bribe away – it’s for a good cause.

Both exhibits are on display until September 5, 2009. Check the VisArts website for summer hours and changes due to special events.