This Week in Potomac
Canal Boat Benefit at Old Anglers Inn
The Potomac community is invited by Mark Reges, owner of Old Anglers Inn, and The Friends of Historic Great Falls Tavern to come see and enjoy the new garden terrace with its casual menu and outdoor bar on Tuesday, July 11 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Featuring "I Love You Porky," "Angler’s Shrimp Burger," "The C&O Caesar Wrap" and "The Golden Hook." There will be some silent auctions, food and drink and an opportunity to see the new addition to Old Anglers.
Twenty percent of each patron’s tab will go to the Canal Boat Fund, which will bring a double-decker 18th-century-style passenger boat to the C&O Canal at Great Falls in late August or early September.
The Potomac Chamber of Commerce has a canal boat fundraising event tentatively scheduled for Thursday, July 27, from 7-10 p.m., when the Toll Brothers will host a Red Carpet Gala and Casino Night. All proceeds from the event will go to the Canal Boat Fund.
See www.BuildACanalBoat.com.
Gaithersburg Soldier Dies in Afghanistan
Pfc. Justin R. Davis, 19, of Gaithersburg, Md., died in Korengal Outpost, Afghanistan (near Kunar Province), on June 25, when he came in contact with indirect fire while on patrol during combat operations.
Davis was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd
Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
The circumstances of the soldier’s death are under investigation as a possible friendly-fire incident.
Restaurant Sales Up in ‘Smoke-Free’ Era
Restaurant sales tax receipts rose by 19 percent in the two years after the region’s first smoke-free restaurant law took effect, according to state sales tax data released on Monday, June 3, by Montgomery County Councilmember Phil Andrews and former Councilmember Isiah Leggett.
The sales tax data shows receipts from Montgomery County restaurants rose from $57.7 million in the twelve months preceding the county’s smoke-free law to $62.1 million after the first year and to $68.8 million after the second year, an increase of $11.1 million or 19.2 percent. Receipts have continued to climb in the first half of the third year as well, according to the sales tax data reported by restaurants to the Maryland Comptroller.
"Montgomery’s Smoke-free Restaurant law is protecting thousands of restaurant workers and hundreds of thousands of patrons from hazardous second-hand smoke," said Andrews, the bill’s lead sponsor. "There is no cost to taxpayers since compliance is not a problem. Meanwhile, our restaurant industry continues to thrive."
Picnic on the Potomac
The Potomac Conservancy’s seventh annual Picnic on the Potomac is from 4-8 p.m. rain or shine at Carderock Pavilion at C&O Canal National Historical Park on Saturday, July 8, 4-8 p.m. Learn contra and square dance steps to the bluegrass sounds of the Potomac River Ramblers, enjoy games for children and adults, win fun door prizes and more. Free grillers and drinks will be provided. Bring a creation for the potluck. Last names beginning with A-E bring salad, F-J bring dessert, K-P the main dish, and Q-Z appetizers and finger foods. 301-601-1188 ext. 201 or www.potomac.org.
County Honored for 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' Site
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) received two awards from Montgomery Preservation, Inc. (MPI) at its 20th anniversary annual awards celebration on June 6 for the historic Riley House/Uncle Tom’s Cabin and for the 1832 stone barn at Woodlawn Manor Park.
Located at 11420 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, the historic Riley House/Uncle Tom’s Cabin won the MPI President’s Award for public interpretation and preservation. This significant property is associated with Josiah Henson. Henson was a slave on the Riley plantation and his autobiography served as the inspiration for Harriett Beecher Stowe’s groundbreaking novel "Uncle Tom’s Cabin." MPI presented the award jointly to M-NCPPC and the previous owners, the Mallet-Prevost family.
M-NCPPC’s Historic Preservation Section and the Heritage Tourism Alliance sponsored a special opening of the house on June 24 - 25, as part of Montgomery County Heritage Days, an annual self-guided tour of the county's historic sites. Over the course of the two days, nearly 1,400 people toured the property.