Orangetheory Fitness opening today at Congressional Plaza

The first of the new fitness tenants at Congressional Plaza's FITRow destination will open today at 1601 Rockville Pike, Suite #210-A. Orangetheory Fitness will welcome its first members today, Wednesday, September 22, 2021, to experience its metabolism-supercharging workouts led by certified coaches.

Orangetheory Rockville South will be open seven days a week offering classes throughout the day from early morning to evening. CorePower Yoga will be the next studio to debut at FITRow. It is on-target to open later this fall. Cool down after today's workout with a beverage from Mr. Wish, also opening for the first time today at Congressional Plaza.

Mr. Wish opening September 22 in Rockville

Rockville's Mr. Wish is coming true tomorrow. The specialty beverage shop is opening Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at Congressional Plaza at 1615 Rockville Pike. It will be located between Custom Ink and European Wax Center.

The Grand Opening celebration will continue on September 25 and 26 only, when you can buy one Mr. Wish Special Fruit Tea, and not only get another one free, but also a bubble tea keychain. And on September 27 and 28 only, a drink purchase will allow you to get a second of the same drink free. 

Regular hours for the shop will be Monday - Thursday 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM, and Friday - Sunday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM. Mr. Wish specialties will include fruit teas, bubble tea and smoothies. Check out their menu online for a sneak preview.

Photos: Robert Dyer (top, center) and Mr. Wish (bottom)

Call Your Mother opens in Rockville

Call Your Mother, which calls itself "a 'Jew-ish' Deli," opened today at 11807 Grand Park Avenue at Pike & Rose. The store will be open from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM seven days a week. Call Your Mother earned national attention when President Joe Biden's motorcade made its first restaurant stop since he took office at the Georgetown location.

Rockville bus crash severely injures 3 (Video+Photos)

A Metrobus traveling on Rockville Pike suddenly veered onto Congressional Lane around 12:20 PM yesterday, stuck several vehicles, and came to rest on top of the front of a minivan at a building wall of a retail center. Six patients were evaluated by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue services, MCFRS Battalion Chief Steve Mann said. Three of those individuals suffered traumatic injuries, and a total of four were transported to local hospitals, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said later Sunday afternoon.

As evening approached, WMATA personnel and truck towing specialists were brought in to supervise the complicated task of extracting the minivan safely from under the Metrobus. The large tow truck assisted in a crane operation to hold the bus upright while a second towing crew pulled the minivan out. Night was falling as the Metrobus finally had all four wheels back on the pavement to be towed away. No official explanation for why the bus operator lost control has been released so far. 

Tow truck arrives to lift Metrobus

Extracting minivan from beneath bus

Metrobus lowered to pavement

Chocolicious, Cutesy Celebrations opening at Rockville Town Square

Chocolicious, a handmade chocolate candy shop specializing in truffles, and Cutesy Celebrations & Boutique, a children's activity and event space, are both opening at Rockville Town Square. Both are family-owned businesses. Chocolicious will also provide larger and special orders for your events. Cutesy Celebrations currently has a Gaithersburg location.

Rockville Goodwill store sets opening date

The long-awaited opening of the newest Goodwill store on Rockville Pike is finally upon us. Goodwill of Greater Washington has announced the store at 725 Rockville Pike (in the Marlo building) will open this Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 9:00 AM. Even better, there will be a 25%-off sale this Saturday only, on  top of the already-low prices.

You don't have to wait until Saturday to donate items to the store; it is accepting donations daily between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM. As you can see above, the shelves are already stocked with merchandise.

Photos: Robert Dyer (top)/Goodwill of DC (bottom)

Spirit Halloween opens in Rockville

Spirit Halloween returns to Rockville for 2021. This year, it has leased a space in the Pike Center at 12137 Rockville Pike, near TGI Friday's. A tour of Spirit Halloween is a Halloween-season event in itself. 

Montgomery County-based JBG Smith announces it has achieved portfolio-wide carbon neutrality

4747 Bethesda Avenue lobby

JBG Smith, a real estate development firm headquartered at 4747 Bethesda Avenue, announced this morning that it has achieved carbon neutrality across its entire operating portfolio of properties, which include several in Rockville. It accomplished this by purchasing verified carbon offsets for scope-one carbon emissions, and renewable energy credits (RECs) for scope-two electrical consumption.

Galvan development in Rockville

In order to maintain carbon neutral status in the coming years, the company said it will have to take further actions. Those actions will include:

1.       Driving down energy consumption across its existing portfolio

2.       Reducing anticipated energy consumption and embodied carbon for its development pipeline

3.       Deploying onsite solar where most impactful

4.       Exploring offsite solar opportunities and bringing additional renewables to the national electrical grid 

5.       Addressing the remainder of carbon emissions with verified carbon offsets and renewable energy credits (RECs)

7200 Wisconsin in Bethesda

“Achieving carbon neutrality across our operating portfolio provides JBG Smith with a strong and compelling competitive advantage," JBG Smith CEO Matt Kelly said in a statement. "Our office, residential, and retail customers increasingly demand this from their real estate space and service partners and our investors expect that we are doing all that we can to address this looming and critical threat, Our collective actions over the next decade are essential in offsetting the current carbon emission trajectory and, through sustainable best practices, JBG Smith remains committed to positively impacting the communities we serve at every level.”

Terano in Rockville

JBG Smith has developed, owns or manages many properties in Montgomery County, including the Trader Joe's-anchored 8001 Woodmont and 7200 Wisconsin in Bethesda, the Rock Grove shopping center in Shady Grove, and the Galvan and Terano in Rockville. Its most prominent venture is the Amazon HQ2 National Landing project in Arlington County, Virginia.

Rock Grove shopping center

 

Sexual assault at Rockville recreation facility

Rockville police responded to a report of a sexual assault at a recreation facility yesterday morning, September 12, 2021. An individual reported having been fondled, and also having been the victim of a second-degree assault. The incident was reported at a recreation center in the 300 block of Martins Lane, according to crime data; the Rockville Swim Center and associated facilities are on that block.

City of Rockville temporarily suspends collection of yard waste

The City of Rockville just announced a temporary suspension of yard waste collection. This includes items like grass clippings, leaves and garden waste. Service disruptions may continue into next week, the announcement stated. 

All other trash and recycling should be picked up on schedule. No explanation for the reason for the disruptions was given, but staffing shortages were cited in August when some communities' yard waste was not collected. 

Photo via City of Rockville

Èkó House, El Mercat Bar de Tapas to open at Rockville Town Square

Here's an update on my earlier scoop that broke the news on two new restaurants coming to Rockville Town Square. El Mercat Bar de Tapas will serve traditional Spanish tapas, paellas, gambas al ajillo, patatas bravas, Tortilla Española as well as sangria, wines and beer. It will have seating for 60 indoors, and offer outdoor patio seating next spring.

The bigger news is that Lagos Bar & Grill has had a last minute name change to Èkó House. There is also more information about menu and the interior layout planned. As expected from the original name, it will be a Nigerian restaurant. Dishes served will include Suya, a spicy meal made with beef, lamb, or chicken; Nigerian Jollof rice; Nigerian yams; peppered soups; sauteed spinach; collard greens; and more. There are plans to rotate visiting African chefs through the kitchen over time, as well as to feature artists from across the African continent.

Its large 6500 square foot interior will have a private room for events.“Èkó House will provide a sophisticated blend of flavors, allowing Nigerians living in the community to reminisce of home, while introducing others to our cuisine, flavors and lively culture,” Èkó House co-founder Francis Odiase said in a statement this morning. “Rockville is one of my favorite neighborhoods to visit with the family, so we are excited to bring the vibrant features of Lagos here," co-founder Yomi Ajao added. "With its family friendly atmosphere and diverse cuisines, the addition of a Nigerian restaurant will make Rockville Town Square the place to be.” 

Carnival this weekend at Montgomery Mall

Football isn't the only thing returning this fall. It's also fall carnival season. Jolly Shows' popular traveling carnival is at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda this weekend through Sunday night. 

The family-owned carnival will be here through September 12, 2021, and features rides, midway games and, of course, all of your favorite fair foods. It opens at 5:00 PM tonight, 1:00 PM on Saturday, and 3:00 PM on Sunday. You can order tickets in advance on the Jolly Shows website, or at the carnival.

"Must be this tall to ride" list