September 2019
Potomac Village Farmers Market. Thursday, Sept. 5, 2-6:30 p.m. at Potomac United Methodist Church, 9908 S. Glen Road, at the intersection of Falls Rd. and Democracy Blvd. Operates rain or shine, May through November. Visit www.potomacvillagefarmersmarket.net for more.
Labor Day Art Show. Aug. 31 - Sept. 2, 12-5 p.m. Closing Reception, Monday, Sept. 2, 4-6 p.m. Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. Every Labor Day at the Yellow Barn instructors, students, and members hold an exhibition. See http://www.yellowbarnstudio.com for more.
Irish Music and Dance Showcase. Monday, Sept. 2, 1-6 p.m. at 7300 MacArthur Blvd at the Bumper Car Pavilion. Attend a day of Irish music and dance presented by the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture and the Irish Inn at Glen Echo. Free. Visit glenechopark.org/irishmusicdance for more.
Labor Day Parade. Monday, Sept. 2, 1-3 p.m. in the streets of Olde Towne Gaithersburg. Celebrate Labor Day with performances, antique cars, marching bands, and more. Free. See https://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/recreation/special-events/labor-day-parade for more.
The Trawick Prize Exhibition. Sept. 4-28. Gallery B at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E. This exhibition features The Trawick Prize finalists for the Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards. This juried art competition and exhibition was established in 2002, with the top three winners receiving a total of $14,000 in prize money. This event is produced in September of each year by the Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District & Bethesda Urban Partnership. See www.bethesda.org/bethesda/trawick-prize.
Parks Half Marathon. Sunday, Sept. 8. 7-10 a.m. Shady Grove Metro, 15903 Somerville Drive Rockville. A marathon race that showcases the Montgomery County parks system. Sponsored by Montgomery County Road Runners Club. Visit www.mcrrc.org.
Park After Dark. Saturday, Sept. 14, 6-10 p.m. at C&O Canal National Historical Park – Great Falls Tavern, 11710 MacArthur Blvd. Attendees enjoy live music, food, libations, auction items, desserts, a campfire and more. The C&O Canal Trust’s 9th Annual gala fundraiser is held under the stars at Great Falls Tavern, and features music from Troy Engle and Southern Skies and food from Corcoran Caterers. The “Fund-a-Need Paddle Raise” will raise money to help resurface the towpath, which especially needs help after last year’s heavy floods. Visit www.parkafterdark.org or www.canaltrust.org.
Dance Party with Soul Crackers. Sept. 11, 2019, 8 p.m. to midnight, Glen Echo Park. 7300 MacArthur Blvd., in the historic Spanish Ballroom. The “soul dance party” features Memphis & Motown soul.with a blues dance lesson to get started. See https://glenechopark.org/soulcrackers
Taste in Potomac. Sept. 21, 2019, 7 p.m. at Bethesda North Marriott Hotel, 5701 Marinelli Dr., Rockville. The 12th annual Taste in Potomac is a community event that raises funds to help children in foster care find adoptive families. Nearly 30 local restaurants donate their fare for the enjoyment of guests. See www.adoptionstogether.org/events/tasteinpotomac.
Cabin John Kids Run. Sunday, Sept. 22, 9-10 a.m. at Cabin John Regional Park, 10900 Westlake Drive, Bethesda. A mile run, half-mile young run and quarter mile young run are offered, and free for runners 17 and under. Race day registration only. Visit www.mcrrc.org/calendar.
Out of the Darkness Community Walk. Saturday, Sept. 22, 2019. 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown, 18031 Central Park Circle, Boyds, Md. 20841 This walk, in conjunction with over 300 communities across the country this fall, benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. See afsp.donordrive.com
Days End Farm Horse Rescue Fall Festival. Saturday, Sept. 28, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at 1372 Woodbine Road, Woodbine. The event will include a horse costume contest, children’s pony rides, petting zoo, live music, face painting, and alumni horses returning. Admission is $2 for adults, free for children under 12. Proceeds go to the rescue and rehabilitation of horses in DEFHR's care. Visit www.defhr.org
Potomac Library Book Sale. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at 10101 Glenolden Drive, Potomac.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, Potomac Chapter. Monthly. The monthly Book Sale at the Potomac Library is such a longstanding tradition that buyers and volunteers come from miles around to take part. See .https://www.folmc.org/chapters/potomac-chapter/potomac-programs
October 2019
Potomac Day. Oct. 12, 2019, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at 9812 Falls Road. The Potomac Chamber of Commerce offers this yearly festival every October. Arts and entertainment for all ages, ranging from rides and festival for children to a classic car show and business fair. The highlight is the Potomac Day Parade at 10:30 a.m., featuring hundreds of entrants, including bands, horses, classic cars, school groups, scouting organizations, and candidates for elected office. See www.potomacchamber.org.
West Montgomery County Citizens Association. Oct. 9, 2020, at Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road, 7:15-9 p.m. WMCCA holds its general meetings from October through May on the second Wednesday of each month. West Montgomery was founded in 1947 as a forum for local issues. “With the C&O Canal National Historic Park on our doorstep and the Agricultural Reserve to our north, what we have always provided becomes ever more valuable to retaining environmental quality as we face the threats brought on by climate change,” according to West Montgomery officials. “Our basis is sound but we need to embrace new terms. Sustainability, energy efficiency, connectivity and environmentally effective growth can only add to our community character and the quality of life we so value.” www.facebook.com/TheWMCCA/
Taste of Bethesda. Saturday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. along Norfolk, St. Elmo, Cordell, Del Ray, and Auburn avenues, Woodmont Triangle. Bethesda's famous food and music festival brings 60 restaurants and five stages of entertainment to Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle. Local restaurants and entertainment come together for the Annual Taste of Bethesda. Admission to the festival is free, taste tickets are sold in bundles of four for $5. See www.bethesda.org.
Rocktobierfest. Saturday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Features two stages of entertainment, including German and rock music, German food, artisans, kids activities, and beverages for sale by local breweries. This annual event attracts more than 5,000 people to Rockville Town Center. See https://www.rockvillemd.gov/1952/Rocktobierfest for more.
Potomac Community Center Anniversary. Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019, 2-6 p.m.,The Potomac Community Center will celebrate its 30 year Anniversary: PCC Celebrates Community, recognizing the estimated 200 center-based Montgomery County Recreation programs, Club Friday, Summer Camps and Recreation Leagues, and countless public and private events provided every year to 60,000-plus Potomac neighbors – young and old. Contact Pamela Yerg at jeyclan@gmail.com
November 2019
Veterans Day. Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, 11 a.m., Veterans Park, intersection of routes 28 and 355. Join Rockville’s Mayor and Council at this annual ceremony in honor of the men and women who served in the nation’s armed forces. American Legion Post 86 will lead the wreath laying ceremony and their Honor Guard will present a twenty-one gun salute. A reception will follow at American Legion Post 86 located at 2013 Veirs Mill Road. Parking is available at Sandy Spring Bank located at Fleet St. and Rt. 355.
Turkey Chase. at YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase, 9401 Old Georgetown Road. The Turkey Chase 10K Run benefits the YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase, the YMCAs Youth and Family Services and financial assistance and scholarship programs, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rotary Club Foundation. About 10,000 runners participate in Bethesda’s rolling hill road race that has been running since 1982. See http://www.turkeychase.com/
Christmas Tree Sale. Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department, Station 10, 8001 River Road. The local fire department has raised funds by providing the community with Christmas trees for more than 30 years. Douglas Fir trees, from 5-14 feet tall, and wreaths come from a family run tree farm, Eliot’s Tree Farm, in Pennsylvania. They are delivered the last weekend in November for freshness. See www.cjpvfd.org for more.
Winter Lights Festival. Nov. 29-Dec. 31, 2019, closed Christmas Day. Seneca Creek Park, 11950 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg. Winter Lights is a 3.5-mile drive through a holiday light show at Seneca Creek Park with more than 450 illuminated displays. Visit https://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/recreation/special-events/winter-lights-festival for more.
December 2019
Santa on Fire Engines Toy Collection. A procession of fire engines run by the Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department, carry Santa on a tour of Potomac neighborhoods over the course of several evenings in December, collecting unwrapped new toys for children. Unopened presents can be brought out to Santa as he passes by, or dropped off at either Cabin John Park VFD Fire Station. The toy drive supports the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda and the Scotland Drive Community Association in conjunction with Montgomery County Police. See www.cjpvfd.org.
Bethesda's Winter Wonderland. Saturday, Dec. 17, 1-4 p.m., Veterans Park in downtown Bethesda. Celebrate the holiday season from Veterans Park in downtown Bethesda with a variety of performances, live ice sculpting, a visit from Santa Claus and more. See www.bethesda.org.
January 2020
Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Rockville’s 48th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration will include multicultural performances, awards and a keynote speech. The celebration is free and open to all ages. A reception will follow. See https://www.rockvillemd.gov/519/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Day for details.
February 2020
Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival. Feb. 14-16, 2020, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville. The festival provides live musical performances, workshops and seminars. See www.midatlanticjazzfestival.org.
Play In A Day. Six professional area theatre companies write, direct, rehearse and perform original plays based on similar themes in 24 hours. The plays are presented at the annual Play In A Day, held in 2019 in February. See www.bethesda.org.
April 2020
Pike’s Peek 10K. This 10K course is designed for speed, starting near the Shady Grove Metro Station and running straight down Rockville Pike to the finish on Rose Avenue in Pike & Rose. See www.pikespeek10k.org.
The Annual C&O Canal Pride Days. April to May. This is a joint effort between the park and C&O Canal Trust that brings hundreds of volunteers into the park to conduct maintenance projects. Work at C&O Canal National Historical Park at Great Falls (Maryland) and other sites along the Potomac River and C&O Canal towpath. Canal Pride Days has projects for every age and skill level—everyone is welcomed to help. Check the Canal Trust website in early spring 2020 for locations and events. See www.canaltrust.org, or see the park website at www.nps.gov/choh for more.
Potomac Watershed Cleanup. This volunteer event is sponsored annually by Alice Ferguson Foundation in April. Since it began thirty years ago, the Potomac River Watershed Cleanup has mobilized more than 150,000 volunteers to remove more than 7 million pounds of trash along the Potomac River. At the 2019 cleanup, volunteers collected 862 tires, 11,034 plastic bags, 9,726 plastic straws and 6,871 cigarettes across the region.Volunteers help at many sites along the Potomac River in Potomac. See www.fergusonfoundation.org.
1921 Dentzel Carousel. After repairs in the 2019 season, Glen Echo Park’s historic 1921 Dentzel Carousel is scheduled to reopen in spring 2020. See www.glenechopark.org/carousel for updates.
May 2020
Potomac Horse Center Annual Spring Open House. 14211 Quince Orchard Rd., North Potomac. Since the Fall of 1994, The Potomac Horse Center has hosted open houses for the local community. We offer Horse & Pony rides, hay rides, a moon bounce, barn tours, personalized horseshoes, riding demonstrations, food and more. See www.PotomacHorse.com.
Greek Orthodox Spring Festival. Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, 7701 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda. The annual festival includes traditional Greek cuisine, outdoor/indoor dining, Greek dancing, church tours and Greek pastries. Call 301-469-7990 or visit www.stgeorge.org.
The Potomac Hunt Races. Sunday, May 17, 2020. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. at 14401B Partnership Road, Poolesville. Held in the heart of Montgomery County's horse country, the Potomac Hunt Races is an annual tradition, celebrating the sport of steeplechase racing. See www.potomachuntraces.com.
SerbFest. Saint Luke Serbian Orthodox Church, 10660 River Road, Potomac. Serbian dishes, beverages, dance and music performances, gifts and boutique items and family-friendly activities. Visit www.serbfestdc.com for more.
The Landon Azalea Garden Festival. Perkins Garden and the Landon campus, 6101 Wilson Lane, Bethesda. The annual festival dates back to the mid-1950s when Landon’s founders, Paul and Mary Lee Banfield opened the newly acquired azalea garden to the public. See www.landon.net.
Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade. Monday, May 25, 2020, Rockville Town Center. Memorial Day festival and parade with concerts, children's crafts and games. Marching bands, drill and pom pom units and floats take to Rockville's streets after a solemn ceremony featuring a wreath laying and military salute. See https://www.rockvillemd.gov/406/Special-Events for more.
Bethesda Summer Concert Series. Last year's free Thursday concerts took place in May and June at Veterans Park, at the corner of Norfolk and Woodmont avenues. See www.bethesda.org.
June 2020
Imagination Bethesda. Last year’s event held June 1, 2019. Free family fun day. Celebrate children, art, and all things fun at Imagination Bethesda at the annual children’s street festival. Activity tents line the streets, face painters bring butterflies and pirates to life, a stage of live entertainment will have the whole street dancing, and more. See www.bethesda.org.
The Bethesda Big Train baseball season is underway at Shirley Povich Field in Cabin John Regional Park, 10600 Westlake Drive. The Big Train plays in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League, a wooden-bat collegiate league that has sent athletes to Major League Baseball. See www.bigtrain.org.
Glen Echo Park's Summer Concert Series begins in June on Thursday evenings in the Bumper Car Pavilion. Free. See www.glenechopark.org. 301-634-2222.
Pride Day. Rockville celebrates its LGBTQ community at the fourth annual Rockville Pride festival this year. The free celebration, presented by the City of Rockville’s Human Rights Commission, will take place in Rockville Town Square. It will feature live intergenerational performances, educational booths, dialogue, crafts, face painting, airbrush tattoos and a moon bounce. See www.rockvillemd.gov/2276/Rockville-Pride for more.
July 2020
Autism Speaks 5K on the 4th of July. The annual Fourth of July Autism Speaks Annual 5K run and one-mile walk through Potomac neighborhoods support Autism Speaks' mission to promote solutions, across the spectrum for individuals with autism and their families. The annual July 4 run consistently raises more than $200,000 for autism research. The race begins and ends near the Potomac Library in Potomac Village, 10101 Glenolden Drive. In 2020, the race will celebrate its 20th anniversary. See www.autismspeaks.org.
Rockville’s Independence Day Celebration. July 4, 7:15 p.m. Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park, 1800 Piccard Drive in King Farm, Rockville. Activities include live music and food. Call 240-314-5022. See www.rockvillemd.gov/663/Independence-Day for more.
Bethesda Outdoor Movies. Annual outdoor movie series at corner of Norfolk and Auburn avenues. See www.bethesda.org for movie schedule.
Farm Tour & Harvest Sale. Various times at various locations in Montgomery County. Montgomery County celebrates its agricultural heritage by promoting local farms, and inviting patrons to partake in seasonally fresh food. Admission prices vary based on farm. Visit www.montgomercountrymd.gov/agservices/agfarmtour.html for a full schedule.
Riley’s Rumble Half-Marathon. Riley’s Rumble Half Marathon & 8K.See www.mcrrc.org
August 2020
Montgomery County Agricultural Fair is a favorite destination each August. See www.mcagfair.com. The 2020 Fair will be the 72nd annual fair.
Great Falls Kayak Race. Great FallsTavern Visitor Center, 11701 MacArthur Blvd., Potomac. Watch top kayakers from around the nation drop nearly 60 vertical feet in a sub-60 second sprint down Great Falls rapids. Only experts may compete, but the entire paddling community is welcome to watch and volunteer. Next year’s event will be the 32nd annual race. See www.potomacfest.com or great fallsfoundation.org.
Movies in the Parks. Wednesdays in Rockville parks during August. Movies begin at dusk (approximately 8 p.m.) and are free. Last year, more than 300 guests attended each week. Last year vendor sales benefitted the Rockville Recreation and Parks Foundation. See https://www.rockvillemd.gov/1755/Movies-in-the-Parks for details.