RM Cluster Emphasizes The Importance Of Music

Combined RMHS choruses

Last night for the first time, students from all of the schools in the Richard Montgomery Cluster performed in the annual RM Cluster Concert. The evening showcased every sort of musical endeavor available from a cappella groups to choruses to instrumental music. One of the objectives of the event is to give the kids a chance to see what you can move onto musically.

Ronald Frezzo, Director of the Richard Montgomery Choruses, explained why music is offered in schools. The reasons include math (counting), geography (musical heritage), civics (patriotic songs), discipline (listening and standing), teamwork, mutual respect, and even the health effects of breathing. Mr. Frezzo told the audience that more drama and music majors get into medical school than biology majors.

The evening kicked off unofficially with the three a cappella groups from Richard Montgomery High School (RMHS): the all-female Resonance, the coed In Tune, and the all-male T Tones. In Tune introduced themselves as the “Pokemon Trainers Association of America” but that must have been an attempt to get the attention of the elementary school kids in the audience. Billing themselves as the “funest” group, they covered the Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes. The T Tones went with The Longest Time by Billy Joel.

Beall Elementary

The main performances of the evening were by the elementary school choruses. The Beall, College Gardens, Ritchie Park, and Twinbrook Choruses all bravely sung to a standing-room-only crowd.

College Gardens Elementary

Their sweet young voices were gently punctuated by the simple accompaniment of a piano.

Ritchie Park Elementary

Ritchie Park added some percussion to Blue Waters of the North.

Twinbrook Elementary

Since Julius West Middle School (JWMS) lost their chorus program due to budget cuts, Mr. Steve Cowan brought three instrumental groups to perform. Over 250 kids play instruments at JWMS. The short excerpts played gave a taste of what the school offers from jazzy brass Pink Panther to Bach on strings. Listen to what the Bach turned into:

The Combined Richard Montgomery Choruses brought the evening to a grand finale. During Dona Nobis Pacem all the elementary choruses joined in the singing the rounds. Since the younger students sat in the side rows, their voices surrounded the audience with a flowing embrace of Latin.

Then the audience stood and joined in with the first and fourth verses of America, the Beautiful so parents could show their support with their voices.

During the evening RMHS Principal Dr. Nelson McLeod, proved the value the school places on music by presenting $200 gifts to each of the music programs. Totaling over $1,000, these gifts are a tradition which acknowledges the important role each music program plays for the students.

During this tough budget situation, parents can also reach out to principals and the County Council to show their support for these thriving music programs. Kids who show commitment to choral and drama programs demonstrate their ability to succeed in college. Last night the students and faculty certainly demonstrated their passion for music.

Big Crowd And Countdown At The Rockville Town Center Tree Lighting

Photo by Cindy Cotte Griffiths

Last night Rockville Town Square filled with people and holiday cheer as the tree was illuminated during a festive ceremony. I overheard one person say he “didn’t know there were this many kids in Rockville.” With Santa and Mrs. Claus, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, and Frosty the Snowman visiting, families turned out in droves on the cold, clear evening.

Photo by Cindy Cotte Griffiths

The crowd joined together for a robust countdown before the big switch was flipped by a resident of the Housing Opportunities Commission, Samantha Clark, along with her kids andNBC 4′s Lindsay Czarniak. A canon shot confetti and streamers into the air which floated down over the crowd for a couple of minutes. Take a quick look if you missed it:

Decked out in red hats, the Walter Johnson High School Choir sang before, during, and after the ceremony. After arriving in a horse drawn carriage, Santa had some advice about being good, “What’s important is that you try hard.” Families did try to do good by making toy and gift donations for the residents of HOC’s programs. They were rewarded with a horse and carriage rides on the streets around the square.

Photo by Cindy Cotte Griffiths

Sue Richards also performed in The Waygoose, where a warm, light-filled shop was the perfect stop for some holiday gift buying. The Town Center garages, shops, and restaurants were all bustling. Rockville’s off to a wonderful start to this holiday season.

Photo of Sue Richards by Cindy Cotte Griffiths

Rockville Car Show Overflows With Enthusiasts

The big crowd.

Saturday was a beautiful day to take a stroll down motor memory lane at Rockville’s annual Antique and Classic Car Show. Over 600 entries crowded every corner of the field at Rockville Civic Center Park.

Let’s face it, they just don’t make ‘em like they used to. Small children marveled at the colors and shapes, while those of us with a few years under our belts remembered vehicles from our pasts. Most of all, people enjoyed talking with the owners.

Terry Benson showing his Super Clipper.

Terry Benson has been coming down from Hagerstown for eight years now with different cars. He was one of several from Hagerstown who lined up for a day of socializing. His 1956 Packard Super Clipper has shiny upholstery and was in perfect condition inside and out. When you talk to these car owners you get the car’s history along with a lesson in economics. These Packards were like Cadillacs then the company was bought by Studebaker and went bankrupt. Expansion can be a disaster.

Robert Phillips in the People's Choice Award winning Ferrari racer!

When you see a classic car in a museum, it’s more of an object. But when they are still on the road, each is a marvel to behold. Robert Phillips of Arlington, the recipient of the People’s Choice Award at the show, epitomized the concept. He still races his 1955 blue SF Ferrari Mondial Series II 500. He raced it back in the 60’s and two weeks ago he raced it in New Jersey. He’s also driven it from San Francisco to New York City on the highways. Although it doesn’t have a heater, he’s also driven it in a blizzard. You could tell he’s a daring man!

Even though he loses his voice from speaking too much, he explained why he enjoys coming to the Car Show:

The best part is I get to talk to people and tell them about these race cars. I’m glad that other people like my little blue car!”

Motorcycles!

This year the car show featured Italian vehicles and the display included motorcycles, some old and some new, but they all looked fast.

Julius West Middle School Assistant Principal, Dudley Davidson's '71 Honda AZ 600. People commented it was the original smart car.

The first Rockville Car Show was held in 1962, as George Hamlin from Mid-Atlantic Packards, details in this year’s program:

The original inspiration for Rockville to have its own car show came from Barney Welsh, lawyer, raconteur, Rockvillian, newspaper columnist, auto hobbyist and all-around bon vivant. Barney loved Montgomery County. He generally referred to it in print at Mungummery and sang its praises regularly through his column in the local paper, a piece featuring Monty Gopher and a cast of colorful characters (many of whom were suspected of being thinly disguised members of the Welsh family).

Being a car collector of some renown, he woke up one morning and thought, “Why don’t we have a big car show right here? We could use that grassy area known as the Civic Center and get the City of Rockville to support it through its Recreation and Parks budget.”

It didn’t take long to interest several local clubs in assuming sponsorship, in which they served on the planning committee, provided a significant amount of the manpower, publicized the event to their membership and rallied people to turn out.

Attendance rallied this year too. Although the crowd wasn’t officially counted, it appeared to be record breaking. Traffic was congested on Baltimore Road during the afternoon peak.

Baltimore Road

Rockville certainly appreciates the efforts of all these fine car owners who travel and give us the opportunity to dream about driving their rare wheels.

Force Major Upgrades The Local Music Scene

Austin Grill Rockville transformed into a downtown DC club last Friday night when Force Major, a local Rockville “jazz punk” band took the stage after another local band, Chute.

First and foremost when Force Major plays – it’s a PARTY. And believe me, they know how to throw one.

In LOL they sing “Let’s have some fun tonight and drink and dance until your eyes can blink. Let’s be as loud as we can” so the fans know they’re included. You realize the guys of Force Major would be disappointed if the audience didn’t join in with the music. One fan even jumped on stage, had them slow down the beat, and hip hopped his way through some lyrics.

Kirill Romanov (vocals, guitar, cello) is a true showman with the facial expressions to prove it. He voice bears witness to punk legends with an added smooth Russian accent. He fingers the guitar strings like he’s playing a classical instrument while ramming the punk riffs out of the speakers. Meanwhile Mike Rivin (bass, back vocals) joins him to turn the show into an athletic event by jumping and landing the songs together. Behind them Alex Polyakov (drums) never slows down for a second to keep heads nodding and bodies thumping. The physical force of their performance pounds every beat from their muscles through the audience leaving one to wonder how they can thrash so much and continue playing.

Inviting everyone to join them for a night out for a good cause, Austin Grill is trying to raise $5,000 this month for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, which never turns a family away even if they don’t have health insurance. As they did on Friday night, they’re taking up collections during shows.

If you missed this show, the bands will be playing Austin Grill regularly every month. Chute has been receiving some local radio airtime and the talent in both these bands is obviously breaking through.

As Kirill said, “Who wants to dance? Let’s pretend this is a club!” With the right band and crowd at Austin Grill, you don’t have to pretend. Take a look:

If you want to hear more, Force Major has released two CDs:
Turbulence in Russian and English on June 11, 2010, and Two Extremes November 28, 2008.

Montgomery County Celebrates National Snapshot Day

Ike Leggett Photo by Aileen Klein

This morning County Executive Ike Leggett kicked off Snapshot Day for the Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) at the Rockville Memorial Library. Snapshot Day is an American Library Association initiative to give libraries a way to show what happens in a single day by taking photos.

Throughout the day, customers have been photographing programs and services to document the variety of activities that take place. The photos will be uploaded to Flickr on the Maryland Library Association’s site.

Snapshot Day gives advocates the chance to prove how their libraries are appreciated and used. In addition to taking photos, the staff is collecting statistics by actually counting people. Today our Rockville Memorial Library will highlight how many books were checked out, but they’ll also be asking people what they are doing in the library to find out if they are seeking a job or doing their homework, etc.

Laura Berthieume Photo by Aileen Klein

Children from the kindergarten class at Beall Elementary and first grade of Christ Episcopal attended the event and they were treated to stories read by Mr. Leggett, Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger, Past President of the Friends of the Library, Rockville Chapter and School Board Member Laura Berthiaume, and District 17 Senator Jennie Forehand. Mr. Leggett in particular knew how to interact with the kids and was just as good as any first grade teacher would have been. To show their appreciation for Mr. Leggett’s efforts, the Friends of the Library (FOLMC) presented him with his very own READ poster.

Jennie Forehand, Tom Mangers & Laura Berthieume while Ike Leggett reads. The children reacted to his storytelling. Photo by Aileen Klein.

Aileen Klein from the Friends of the Library thanked Mr. Leggett and Senator Forehand for all they have done to keep our county libraries among the best in the country. She also expressed appreciation for the expert guidance of library director Parker Hamilton. During her remarks, Ms. Klein explained how FOLMC will be helping during the county’s budget shortfall:

The Friends of the Library has been adjusting to its budget cuts and just recently voted to step up – on an emergency basis – money designated for collections. Even though we cannot come close to making up for the $3M collections budget cut, we will be helping to lessen the gap and our chapters will be helping too. Even though this may mean a temporary reduction in new technologies, programs, and other projects that we have traditionally bought for MCPL, we realize these are unusual times, and both staff and patrons have been telling us that collections are the area that is feeling particularly squeezed, so we will be trying to respond as best we can.

Ari Brooks (FOLMC), Parker Hamilton, and Irene Padilla (State Libraries). Photo by Aileen Klein

The 16 champters of FOLMC want to do everything possible to help. Today’s snapshots should encourage their efforts by demonstrating how loved and utilized these community hubs are in our County.

Hispanic Heritage Celebration Was A Gathering Place

Over 50 Bolivian dancers showed up at Rockville’s Hispanic Heritage Celebration on Saturday, September 20, 2010. Throughout the afternoon, groups in different costumes filled the square with many of the men’s outfits matching the women’s dresses, plus a bunch of little kids joined in the fun with their own colorful versions. Four hours of movement was presented by Caporales Universitarios San Simon, Café Caribe, Caminito Amigo, Fraternidad, Diablada Boliviana, Arte Flamenco, and Ballet Ritmos del Peru. After the show was over, the dancers stayed around and had something to eat together. The audience did the same.

A sense of pride could be felt among those in attendance. Even when a family was fluent in English, the parents encouraged conversations in Spanish. The whole square was packed with people in a celebratory mood of sharing who visited the tables set up with information about many programs with explanations in Spanish including City of Rockville, Priority Partners, Kaseman Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, Casa de Maryland, Community Ministries of Rockville, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Montgomery County, Montgomery County Federation of Families, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Montgomery County, and Revista Buena Gente.

Carlos Aparicio, the City’s new Community Services Manager who previously worked in the Linkages To Learning program, came to hand out information and became a tattoo artist. He had a nonstop parade of kids wanting “I Love Rockville” temporary tattoos while they waited for the moon bounce. When he explained they looked like “biker” tats, even I was tempted.

The musical entertainment and dancers all volunteered to perform at this new Hispanic Heritage event in Town Square. The final musical presentation was by Visions of Jazz. They were enjoying themselves so much they played until 7:15 PM even though the official ending time was 7 PM, which was a real testament to the good time being had by all. Here’s a very brief clip of their performance.

Farmers Market Offers A Full Plate And Much More

Did you know you can create complete gourmet meals from our Farmers Market? You can, and chefs from Clyde’s Tower Oaks Lodge showed everyone how by preparing signature dishes from the restaurant using fresh vegetables, meats, fish, and wine from the Farmers Market. They even crumbled the available baked goods on top.

To demonstrate how impressive our Saturday Farmers Market has become, the City invited chefs from Clyde’s to give a cooking demonstration last Saturday, September 11, 2010. Clyde’s buys their local ingredients from the Farmers Market twice each week on Wednesday and Saturday. Getting into the spirit of the invitation, head chef Jeff Eng suggested a cook off between his chefs. The result was a fast-paced and creative competition which had the audience watching three teams quickly prepare three-course feasts using the ingredients they had just purchased.

These were the menus:

Clark and Maura’s Menu
Clyde’s Crab cake with tomato, cucumber, radish salad with Old Bay Vinagrette
Roasted Duck Heart (not from the market)
Carmelized Apple Crepe with cinnamon cream

Daniel’s Menu
Pear Salad with green onion, Sheperds Delight Cheese
Seared Cod topped with Arugozo Apple Salad
Plum Parfait with maple yogurt, Rosemary short bread and local honey

Jeff’s Menu
Chilled Cantelope
Crispy Pork Belly
Farmers Market Mason Jar Pear, maple yogurt, whipped cream, and shortbread

The demonstration attracted quite a crowd, even more than the seating available. The challenge was picking only one chef to watch in the half-hour time period. If you were watching how Clyde’s makes their crab cakes, you might not be able to pay full attention to the cod searing method on the opposite end of the table.

Four people in the audience volunteered to be judges and pick the winner. Mike Coppersmith, the City’s Special Operations Supervisor, said the judges struggled a bit as they continued eating. In the end, it was a three way tie. As for the duck heart, he heard one of the judges say she would never order it if she saw it on the menu, but it was delicious.

Manna Food Center regularly has volunteers collect food at the Farmers Market. Donations to the Manna Food Center insure everyone in Montgomery County has food to eat. Ritchie Park Elementary School’s Brownie Troop 3459 volunteered to collect on Saturday. How could you turn them down? They collected a grand total of ‎686 pounds of food!

They all send a special thank you to everyone who came out out to support the Troop, the local farmers, and Manna.

This past Saturday, Elk Run Vineyards from Mount Airy offered tastes and had full bottles for sale. This was the first summer a wineries participated in the Farmers Market. Elk Run had non-stop customers on Saturday and they’ll be celebrating their 30th anniversary next month.

If you haven’t been to the Farmers Market lately, you haven’t been to the Farmers Market.

The Saturday Farmers Market will be open until November 20, 2010, 9 AM - 1 PM at the corner of Route 28 and Monroe Street.

Doggie Dip Day Was A Big Splash

Photo from Deborah Landau

When asked about the annual Doggie Dip Day at the Rockville Swim Center, Deborah Landau responded, “We just had a blast!”.

The first time the City ever offered the Doggie Dip, her family went.

It was just the perfect event for us. We loved the Rockville pool. We loved our dog. Our dog loved to swim.

Sheba by Deborah Landau

Although they weren’t able to attend the last couple of years because their dog was slowing down, they were quick to give it a try with their new dog named Sheba. She’s a two-year old mix they adopted from A Forever Home which takes dogs when they near the top of the list at shelters.

She’s just wonderful. We knew she really, really likes dogs but we didn’t know if she’d like to swim. She loved it!

Since the event started, it has become more and more crowded but the outdoor pool is so big everyone can spread out. Even with the space, the atmosphere becomes quite chaotic. The water is a “sea of tennis balls”. All the dogs play with them and everyone constantly throws the balls back into the pool. Some reckless leapers spend their time jumping in while others go in carefully. Of course a few dogs are bone-dry with no desire to go into the water at all. All of the people are dry too, because only dogs are allowed in the water.

Deborah explained that all the dogs seem to get along at the pool whereas sometimes at dog parks there can be conflict. She believes the pool is a whole new element which distracts them.

When I asked her who enjoys it more, owners or dogs? She laughed and decided on dogs.

We had a great time but we were ready to go home before the dog. She panted for a long time afterwards but her coat is all shiny and clean.

Photo by Deborah Landau

In the past participants could make a donation in a jar, but this year $5 was collected for each dog entering the pool. Cans of food were also being collected for the Manna Food Center.

Proof of rabies vaccination was necessary for dogs to enter. The Humane Society donated free rabies vaccines at the event, but dogs receiving them couldn’t attend Doggie Dip Day.

The event always includes displays from vendors which all have bowls of dog treats for the taking. Deborah bought a meaty bone from Potomac Kennels which she hopes will keep Sheba occupied the next time she visits her dog-friendly office.

When humans are done with the outdoor pool for the year, our canine friends definitely enjoy this annual chance to swim.

Uncorked Grows Into A Signature Event

DiVine mesmerized the crowd at Rockville’s Uncorked Wine and Music Festival on Saturday. This vine-covered performer characterized the uniqueness and growth of the event as she walked along the streets then blended into the scene. A few years ago the music festival was much smaller in scope and not as well-attended. The Town Square was new with saplings along the streets. Now the trees and the festival have grown so that a large green performer on stilts easily disappeared in the crowded street setting.

Locals didn’t want to miss Uncorked, especially when they spied clusters of grape-shaped balloons decorating the streets. People also came from around the beltway to taste the Maryland wines, often comparing them to Virginia’s reserve. Although there might be Maryland wine festivals in other parts of the state, this is the only one in the DC area.

Intent on discovering a favorite Maryland wine at the Festival, I brought together a small band of tasters, both friends and strangers. One of our participants recently moved to College Park from Seattle and decided to go to Uncorked after interviewing for a job in Rockville and seeing the banners. As the gang made their way through the selections from the wineries, people learned of our mission and would make recommendations. Everyone preferred dry reds, so the group searched for the best red wine. Maryland wines are often fruity and white, but the group wanted to know how Maryland’s contributions compare to the wines they usually consumed.

Although the decision was close and the tasters couldn’t try all of the wines offered, the group decided the Cabernet Sauvignon from the Boordy Vineyards was best. The Cabernet was smooth, refined, and more complex than other selections. Established in 1945, Boordy is Maryland’s oldest family-run winery. Located on a 230-acre farm in the Baltimore countryside, the winery specializes in oak-aged cabernets and it shows. Elk Run’s Merlot and Basignani’s Lorenzino Reserve were also favorites.

This year, the City of Rockville ordered 3,000 wine glasses, up from last year’s 2,000. The supply ran out around 4 PM when the event was still crowded and going strong. At the time, Superland was performing their new-era funk on the main Plaza stage. A sure sign of a good show, the crowd grew during their performance as more and more people were drawn to their “raucous horn section”. The headliner stage showcased the best of our area’s local talent and I’ve been told Bill Kirchen’s “rockabilly rave-up” was amazing when he took the stage at noon.

The Wine and Music Festival is a rare opportunity to introduce our local music talent and vineyards to a broader audience. Terrapin Station Winery tweeted “Rockville Uncorked is in the bag and what a day! This is our third year, and we thought we could predict the wine we needed but we sold out of three wines today.” If Terrapin Station is any indication, the outcome was prosperous for all.

Colleen McQuitty, Rockville’s special event manager, had many people tell her how much they enjoyed the local musicians and Maryland wines. She described it as “A good crowd having a good time.”

As Ernest Hemingway said “ Wine is the most civilized thing in the world.” Uncorked certainly is our proof.

MCPS Back To School Fair Draws The Largest Crowd Yet, Weast Thanks ABC7/TBD

Families started to line up for free backpacks of school supplies at the Carver Educational Services Center at 8 AM on Saturday. The Third Annual Back-to-School Fair wasn’t scheduled to open until 11 AM. By 2PM all 5,000 backpacks had been distributed to kids who needed them to get their school year off to the right start.

The City of Rockville booth

The white tents spread across the entire parking lot to accommodate over 10,000 visitors to the Fair, up from 8,000 last year. Booths had information on recreation programs and resources available in the County. Kaiser Permanente provided health information. Nutrition was an important theme. A human-sized bunch of grapes and a banana traversed around the crowd. Kids jumped in the moonbounce, ate Carmen’s Italian Ice, and talked to a robot. Throughout the day, the main stage was jumping. The organizers understood that kids like to move. The Washington Talent Agency kept the crowd upbeat and dancing.

Dancing to the beat

During the Corporate Sponsor Recognition, School Superintendant Jerry Weast emphasized the importance of the sponsors and volunteers who make the event possible. The total sponsor amount has grown from $80,000 to $200,000 in three years. Representatives from all the corporations, organizations, and schools received awards of appreciation from Dr. Weast and Eric Davis, the director of Family-Community Partnerships which organized the event.

Jerry Weast, Eric Davis and Leon Harris

From the beginning, ABC7/TBD have been the main sponsor of the Back to School Fair. ABC7 Nightly News anchorman, Leon Harris, accepted the award then stayed to talk with his fans and sign autographs. As a MCPS parent, he’s always willing to help out.

In case you missed it, News Channel 8 is now TBDTV. TBD.com is the place for all local news in the DC region. In addition to producing their own stories and linking to other news outlets, the site networked 130 blogs together including Rockville Central. Therefore I was on hand to help distribute t-shirts and answer questions. If you haven’t yet, visit TBD.com and put in your zip code for your local community news. Try it on your phone too. The apps are a terrific way to stay connected when you’re on the go.

Leon Harris and Cindy Cotte Griffiths

Looking Back at the Montgomery County Fair

The largest Fair in the State of Maryland was a major attraction last week and Rockville residents were out in full force.

Before you even entered the Fair, you were greeted by friendly faces from Rockville.

Boy Scout Troop 447 from Rockville worked long hours to direct the cars in the parking lot. On the last Friday and Saturday nights, the lot was full and closed down early in the evening then reopened after the very popular Demolition Derby. The place was packed with friends and families enjoying the temporary fun on the fairgrounds.

The Fair is only possible because of volunteers. People helped in many different ways. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville collected food for Manna outside the entrance on Monday.

On those hot days, our own Carmen’s Italian Ice was on hand to cool everyone down. Notice the free samples!

And of course, as I mentioned before, Ruth Hanessian from the Animal Exchange held the Hermit Crab Races on Wednesday even though the weather was iffy. As you can see, members of the Royal Court did attend again!

When the kids and I spent the day at the Fair I thought we would run out of things to do, but we didn’t even make it through all the displays and buildings. We did however join in the square dancing which the young ones had never experienced and enjoyed ourselves immensely. I wouldn’t miss the Fair!

Ride and Stride Recommended

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During Hometown Holidays my family decided to join the Ride and Stride which turned out to be a very pleasant tour of Rockville. The 12-mile route for bikes meandered through many of our lovely parks and tree-shaded paths. Each neighborhood revealed their best kept little secrets.

Ride and Stride starts early. The first event leaves at 8 AM, so the streets were mostly silent until our bikes momentarily clicked past. My friends from the Wootton Parkway area enjoyed the Fallsgrove and New Mark neighborhoods which were completely new to them, while I found the cuts through neighborhoods off Seven Locks and Fall’s Chapel to be a treat. The well-chosen route included the most fun features in Rockville, Friendship Bridge and the Maryland Avenue tunnel, which I described in my post Over and Under: Biking The Bridge. The rest stop was at the new Thomas Farm Community Center in Fallsgrove.

My nine-year-old completed the 12-mile route designed for families and felt a true sense of accomplishment. Most families included kids about 10 years old and up. Kids will surprise you with their dexterity and accomplishments if you give them the chance, but a kid’s ability to finish this 12-mile ride with these small hills would depend on their temperament. Adults and kids alike couldn’t hop on a bike and finish the course without any preparation or previous experience, which is the key no matter what your age.

Members of the Rockville Bike Advisory Committee rode along with the bikers and also stayed at the tail end to tell the police officers the entire group was through and they could leave their posts at the street crossings. Riders were friendly and supportive, engaging in conversation and encouraging the kids to keep going.

Looking over the other routes, the hard core more “challenging” 28-mile ride includes the 12-mile route plus an additional 16 miles in a larger circle around Rockville. The “strides” are either 2K or 5K runs or walks depending on your desired speed. The routes were well-marked except in a couple of places but it didn’t matter because you are given both a map and a guide telling you exactly when to turn onto each street. Luckily other riders, both friends and strangers, were always on hand to direct us so we made it through without a problem.

At the end I drank too much coffee from Starbucks and ate too many high fiber treats from Great Harvest while we were waiting around for the raffle. You could bring a t-shirt to be stamped with the Ride and Stride logo too. In general, participants stayed around to talk and share their experiences.

Other riders told me they save the route map and bike it on their own throughout the year. If this doesn’t tell you the route is a terrific choice for Rockville, I don’t know what would!

Hometown Holidays Grows Up

Hometown Holidays turned 22 and matured. This year’s festival was full grown in every way. The artists expanded to fill two streets with high quality creative pieces. The green market offered many more products including >Twilight Candle Shop’s soy candles made in Damascus and free books to reuse and recycle.

An energetic group of nonprofit organizations, including the Rockville Express Baseball team and the Human Rights Commission, engaged passersby.

The music and entertainment on all seven stages spanned the spectrum of music and magic while visitors flocked to the very popular Taste of Rockville zone.

Billy Coulter who lives in Rockville was a true hometown favorite and when I first heard the band, I spun around and went to listen.

A giant screen from the Cartoon Network changed our local corner into a mini-Times Square. Also in the big City category, people had the chance to appear on local Channel 11 TV.

You could even meet human-sized cupcakes and cookies.

Sunday night’s headliners brought high expectations. Jah Works from Baltimore had the crowd pumping with traditional Jamaican reggae but unfortunately Soul Asylum self-destructed. After the Ride and Stride I happened to be hanging out with our friends and I heard a big sound from the main stage which could only be Soul Asylum. In the late morning sunshine they decided to eventually play a full song then played five. Scott from Guiseppi’s Pizza and I had a private, mostly acoustic concert. They wanted to know if the music was a standard for condos in the neighborhood. Really, they were good.

Now I’ll confess. I only like their first two albums from the early 80’s meshing a cutting-edge alternative sound. I’m not fond of “Runaway Train” although one fan made a cardboard train and they invited him to join them on stage so clearly people liked this hit. In fact, after they played it, most of the crowd left. I understand how this must have brought them down. So down in fact that their encore consisted of them starting heavy metal, reggae and rock-a-billy songs then abruptly stopping. People were yelling “Finish a song” while they kept saying “All right we’re leaving.” Until the lights and sound were turned off on them. I wish they could have played the music they enjoyed during their morning sound check instead of what they thought the crowd expected. For me the high point was “I Need Somebody To Shove” which they played first.

As you walked down the streets during Hometown Holidays, you felt a real energy from this event. I saw people I knew and met others who introduced themselves, but, of course, the majority were unknown to me. During Sunday night’s headliner concert introduction by the Mayor, City Council and Maryland State Senator Jennie Forehand, Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio asked who was from Rockville and had a loud response. Then Councilmember Piotr Gajewski asked who was from New York and had a few, which he then followed up with “who is from someplace other than Rockville” and there was a bunch. He invited them to come back and visit again. Hometown Holidays has grown from a local gathering to a showplace for Rockville. We do have a terrific City to share.

Lunching In The DMV: Tokyo Express

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Photo by Dskco

Dskco has reviewed an old favorite, Tokoyo Express. Although the restaurant serves Chinese and Japanese, this in only a review of Tokoyo Express.

She says it’s cheap sushi:

Whenever I want cheap sushi that’s close to home, I go to China Taste/Tokyo Express. I’ve been going to this place for about 10 years now. Granted I haven’t been in a while because I’ve been trying new places for the blog, but I had to come back at some point. My mom found this hole in the wall, yey. They have a tiny parking lot that I’ve never seen full. The closest metro is Twinbrook on the red line.

The restaurant seems like a quite a deal. Dskco thinks it’s good for a quick bite but maybe not a big bite.

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.

Lunching In The DMV: El Patio

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Photo by Dskco

Dskco found El Patio by chance, as she explains at the start of her review:

The other night the bf suggested we just drive up the road and try some random restaurant. I usually like to research a place, read reviews, etc before eating somewhere. He is the spontaneous one in the relationship, and I admire that about him. We ended up trying an Argentinean Cafe called El Patio on Twinbrook Prwy. I’ve seen this tiny place before, but never thought about stopping by. The parking lot is tiny. The closest metro stop is Twinbrook on the red line.

She thinks the restaurant is like being in a different country. Besides the dining option you’ll also find a bakery and small grocery with packaged goods from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The food was good and the regulars seemed to be content.

If you’ve ever wondered about Greenberry in Mid-Pike Plaza, she also visited it the same day and her review is here.

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.