MWBC Shop Local to host opening party 4-8 PM today at The Square in Rockville

MWBC Shop Local at 36-D Maryland Avenue at The Square in Rockville will host an Opening Party today, August 1, 2025, from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. There will be a "sip and shop experience," face painting, and giveaways every hour. Attendees will also have a chance to meet the six local artisans whose products are sold at the store. A retail storefront initiative of the Maryland Women's Business Center designed to provide an incubator opportunity for local artisans and small-scale manufacturers, MWBC Shop Local provides program participants with mentoring, practical experience, and access to capital. Once open, the store's operating hours will be 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Saturday, and 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Sundays.

Jurassic World Rebirth specials at AMC Montgomery 16 cineplex in Bethesda

AMC Theatres continues to be the top cineplex chain to see blockbuster movies at. They've been on a roll since before the pandemic, when they offered cocktails and free collectibles for moviegoers screening Spider-Man: Far from Home in 2019. Starting today, July 2, 2025, the AMC Montgomery 16 theater at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda will enhance your Jurassic World Rebirth cinema experience with a free InGen ID badge and lanyard (while supplies last with ticket purchase), a dino-size Sriracha Bavarian Legend Pretzel, and a Menacing Mix cocktail made with tropical fruit, Kraken spiced rum and a "gold dusted dehydrated pineapple slice" garnish.

Wegmans opening today in Rockville (Photos)

A nearly decade-long odyssey comes to an end today at the new Twinbrook Quarter development at the northeast corner of Rockville Pike and Halpine Road. Wegmans will open its long-awaited grocery store at 1590 Rockville Pike at 9:00 AM this morning. The store includes a Market Cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. Wegmans has so far donated over $21,000 to community causes, including So What Else and $1000 scholarships to 5 graduating seniors from Richard Montgomery and Rockville High Schools.

Flip Circus comes to town tonight through June 24 in Bethesda

The circus is coming to town tonight. Flip Circus has set up its tent in the parking lot at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, and promises to "keep the amazing American circus tradition alive." Family friendly shows are scheduled daily through June 24, 2025. The legendary Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus folded up like a card table in 2017, under pressure from radical blowhards like the Montgomery County Council, who banned circus animals from performing in the County that same year. Infamously, Discovery Communications was stolen away from Silver Spring by New York City and Knoxville through secret negotiations that took place the very week the Council spent debating circus animals. Heckuva job, Brownie! But the struggle sessions in MoCo and elsewhere that brought down Ringling Bros. created a vacuum that was filled by troupes like Flip Circus.

Flip Circus is more intimate in scale than Ringling Bros. The County Council will be delighted to know that there are no elephants, tigers, or other exotic beasts in the Flip Circus show. Acrobatics, magic tricks, aerialists, clowns, and other traditional hallmarks of a circus remain, however. Tickets are available online - or at the box office, if they haven't sold out - and the air-conditioned tent includes a concessions stand. Beware that if a clown car pulls up at the mall, and 11 jokers emerge, that's just the County Council and not part of the show.

Trader Joe's grand opening today in Rockville (Photos)

The new Trader Joe's grocery store at 225 N. Washington Street at The Square in Rockville opens today, June 12, 2025 at 9:00 AM. Trader Joe's is the new anchor retail tenant for the development, which gets another chance at a fresh start with the addition of a real grocery store, and that traffic that can generate for the other businesses. A grand opening ceremony will be held at the store at 10:30 AM, with Rockville Mayor Monique Ashton, and officials from property owner Morguard and the Rockville Chamber of Commerce. Here is a photo preview of what you will see today:

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton pilgrimage to make several stops in Montgomery County

This year marks a half-century since Elizabeth Ann Seton was canonized by the Catholic Church. A two-week walking pilgrimage will travel from Point Lookout in Southern Maryland all the way to The National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, starting this Monday, June 9, 2025. Along the way, pilgrims will stop at several waypoints in Montgomery County, overnight in some cases. These include Our Lady, Queen of Poland Church at 9700 Rosensteel Avenue in Silver Spring; The Avalon School at St. Catherine Laboure Church at 11801 Claridge Road in Wheaton; the Shrine of St. Jude at 12701 Veirs Mill Road and St. Mary's Catholic Church at 520 Veirs Mill Road in Rockville; St. Martin of Tours Church at 201 S. Frederick Avenue and St. Rose of Lima Church at 11701 Clopper Road in Gaithersburg; and St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima at 18230 Barnesville Road in Barnesville.

For options on how you can participate by walking, or virtually from home, or to register, visit the website of The Camino of Maryland.

Image via The Camino of Maryland

Rockville is "REDI" for Global Bites Restaurant Week June 1-14

Dining out in Rockville between June 1 and June 14, 2025 will have additional rewards. Rockville Economic Development, Inc. will be sponsoring Global Bites Restaurant Week during that time period, and 20% of your receipt (or $20, whichever is higher), will be donated to local nonprofits that participate in REDI's Rockville Rewards program. There might be a reward for you as well: REDI will be giving away three VISA gift cards, worth $50, $100, or $200.

All you have to do to participate and be entered to win, is to dine at any participating restaurant within the City of Rockville between June 1 and 14. Note that national chains are excluded. Upload a copy of your receipt, and you will be entered in the gift card contest, and a donation will be made to local nonprofits. Each receipt counts as one entry; you can enter multiple times, but each receipt must represent a separate transaction. Photos of receipts must be uploaded by 11:59 PM on June 15, 2025.

REDI's goal, beyond assisting community organizations, is to highlight the international cuisines of Rockville's restaurants, which include those that have made the city a regional destination for the best Asian dining experiences. “Rockville is home to an amazing variety of restaurants offering a world of flavor,” REDI CEO Cynthia Rivarde said in a statement. “Global Bites highlights this culinary and cultural vibrancy while creating meaningful local impact.”

Sneak peek: UNIQLO grand opening today at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (Photos)

UNIQLO will hold its grand opening at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda this morning, May 23, 2025, starting at 10:00 AM, and continuing through Sunday. Here's what the Japanese apparel retailer has in store for you each day, and enjoy a sneak peek in the photos below:

• Friday, May 23 - Taiko Drum Performances at 10AM, 1PM and 3PM
• Free breakfast for first 200 customers in line each day - May 23, 24 & 25
• Free knot bag with branded tissue box & pocky snack for first 200 customers in line each day - May 23, 24 & 25

Look for UNIQLO on Level 2, in the former Sears wing of the mall. It is in the spaces vacated by Express and Express Men.

Rockville High School student wins Montgomery County BOE Student Service Award

A Rockville High School student was named the winner of the 2025 Montgomery County Board of Education Student Service Award last evening at The Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda. German Diaz-Peña, a senior at RHS, was forced to cut short his student athletic career due to an injury. He maintained his involvement in sports by becoming Sports-Announcing Operations Manager for Rockville High School's Broadcast Journalism program. In this role, he organized and led coverage of all Rockville sports events, assigning reporters to games, juggling the schedules of the many sports, and providing commentary himself.

In addition to providing coaching for aspiring student announcers, Diaz-Peña also volunteered with Montgomery County Public Schools' MCPS-TV, and as a photographer at school and sporting events. He is currently vice-president of Rockville’s Student Government Association, and a member of both the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society, earning the Seal of Biliteracy. Diaz-Peña plans to pursue a career in sports medicine.

Diaz-Peña was selected over the other two finalists, Samantha (Sam) Ross of Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, and Kylie Zhang of Poolesville High School, who have both been recognized for their outstanding records of service to the community. You can watch Diaz-Peña's winning moment and brief speech from last night here.