Circus coming to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda this June

The Do Portugal Circus will present its Cirque show under the big top next month at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Tracing its roots back to 1911, the Mexican circus troupe has been touring with this show around the world for 25 years. You won't see elephants or tigers, but you will see just about everything else you expect from a circus starting June 9, 2023 and continuing through June 25: Trapeze artists, magicians, roaring motorcycles in the Cage of Death, and more.

Tickets to all performances are available now online, and VIP seats are an option for the biggest circus aficionados. No outside food or drinks will be allowed, but the circus will have its own concessions with hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, pickles, cotton candy, snow cones, soda, water, juice, Powerade, coffee and hot chocolate.

Photos courtesy Do Portugal Circus

Buy Buy Baby, Bed Bath & Beyond closing in Rockville

Buy Buy Baby is closing its Rockville store at 1683 Rockville Pike, in the Congressional Plaza shopping center. A store-closing sale is underway. Savings are currently listed as being 20-40%-off storewide. All 122 Buy Buy Baby stores are closing as a result of parent company Bed Bath & Beyond's bankruptcy filing. 

Bed Bath & Beyond just happens to be a neighbor of Buy Buy Baby at 1519 Rockville Pike at the Congressional North shopping center. It's having its own closing sale. The savings are - surprise! - 20-40%-off storewide, as well.

Aggravated assault with firearm in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of an aggravated assault with a firearm last Thursday night, May 18, 2023. Officers responded to a 911 call at an apartment building in the 600 block of Blandford Street at 8:08 PM. A source reports that an adult female suspect took an adult male victim's cell phone, and pulled out the sim card. When the victim demanded the sim card be handed back, the woman pulled a gun on him.

Shoplifters strike at 2 Rockville liquor stores in 90 minutes

Surveillance camera footage has been showing us the recent handiwork of well-organized shoplifting teams in Montgomery County businesses. The County itself was the latest victim Friday afternoon in Rockville. Shoplifters hit two Montgomery County-owned liquor stores within 90 minutes. The first 911 call came from the 300 N. Washington Street store at 2:07 PM; the second, from the 14937 Shady Grove Road store at the Fallsgrove Village Center at 3:36 PM.

Altar'd State closing today at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Altar'd State is closing permanently at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, at the close of business today, May 21, 2023. The Christian women's apparel boutique opened here in April 2018. This closure we can blame on Montgomery County's hostile business climate and County Council, as the brand is neither going bankrupt, nor closing stores elsewhere in the country. In fact, a company press release exactly one month ago described Altar'd State as "a rapidly growing women's fashion brand with 123 Altar'd State stores, 25 Arula boutiques, six Vow'd boutiques and two Tullabee boutiques in 38 states."

Maryland Democrats to honor Steny Hoyer at 2023 Gala in Baltimore

The 2023 Maryland Democratic Party Gala will honor Congressman Steny Hoyer, who has represented the state's 5th Congressional District since 1981. It will be held on the evening of Thursday, June 22, 2023 at the Martin's West banquet hall in Baltimore. Maryland Governor Wes Moore is expected to attend the event. The party expects the gala to sell out in advance; tickets are available online.

Lakeforest Mall owner wants to demolish mall sooner than planned

The now-shuttered Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg was not expected to be demolished until next year. But owner WRS Realty is now seeking to bring the building down much sooner. The rationale for waiting until 2024 was that the company would retain the fallback plan of reopening the mall, should the City of Gaithersburg not approve its plan to redevelop the site with thousands of residential units, along with new restaurants and retail. 

WRS Realty now says it would raze the mall sooner, if it could enter a binding contract with the City that provides a guaranteed right to redevelop the property, the Washington Business Journal reported this afternoon. If the City agrees, reporter Daniel J. Sernovitz wrote, it could speed up delivery of the new development by two years. The new plan by WRS Realty may explain why an auction of the mall's contents is now scheduled for next month. If WRS Realty were to reopen the mall, it would have to replace some amount of that stuff to do so.