Inferno Heats Up Darnestown Road
Transcription
Inferno Heats Up Darnestown Road
Gaithersburg’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Kentlands, Lakelands, Quince Orchard Park and More The TOWN Vol. 12, No. 19 Courier www.towncourier.com October 2, 2015 Beatty Portfolio to Be Offered for Sale By Pam Schipper K en Miller, Beatty chief operating officer, told a group assembled Sept. 29 at the Kentlands Starbucks that the Beatty portfolio—seven commercial strip centers and Kentlands Market Square— will soon be offered for sale, according to Kentlands Town Architect Marina Khoury. The group, which included members of the Kentlands Community Foundation, was meeting to discuss hosting a workshop on how to revitalize the center from both design and leasing perspectives. Miller declined to comment for this publication. Photo | Laurie Miller Turnout was low for the first Kentlands Downtown Art Festival, which brought 50 talented artists to the neighborhood Sept. 26 and 27. Trial Run: Residents, Business Owners Hope Art Show Will Return By Ellyn Wexler T Photo | Pam Schipper The Beatty portfolio, which includes Kentlands Market Square, will soon be offered for sale. he consensus about the Kentlands Downtown Art Festival’s debut is that proper planning would have made it a lot more successful. “We originally planned to run the show down Main Street, but despite our efforts to market in a very short amount of time due to City (of Gaithersburg) regulations and the severe lack of signage due to the same reason, it wasn’t terrible,” said Shaun Auxier of Blittzed! Media who brought festival promoter Howard Alan’s show to the Kentlands. He admits that the turnout, “roughly 1,000 people that n art festival Continued on page 11 PRSRT-STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID GAITHERSBURG, MD Permit #1722 KCA Proposes Resolution on Retaining Wall By Pam Schipper A Photo | Pam Schipper Chef Tony Conte prepares to open Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana the first week in October. The restaurant is on Darnestown Road across from Quince Orchard High School in the Safeway shopping center. The Town Courier 309 Main Street Gaithersburg, MD 20878 came to see the 50 vendors over the two days” of the festival, held in the parking lot next to Potomac Pizza, was disappointing. “On the bright side,” Auxier pointed out, “this was their first show here, and I believe many of the artists will be happier if next year, we could make the show bigger and run it down Main Street all through the Kentlands.” He said he will apply for permits in January, as “six months of marketing will make a big difference versus three to four weeks.” “This year was a trial run, and now we know what needs to be tweaked for next year. A great learning Inferno Heats Up Darnestown Road By Pam Schipper C hef Tony Conte strides into his soon-to-be opened Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana on Darnestown Road and brings some groceries back to his openair kitchen. He’s demonstrating authentic Neapolitan pizza-making in a Marana Forni wood-fired oven tonight—Inferno will be the first Associazione Verace Pizza Neapoletana (AVPN)-certified restaurant in Maryland—and firn new restaurant Continued on page 10 lmost three months ago, the Kentlands Citizens Assembly (KCA) asked the City of Gaithersburg to fund $900K of the Quince Orchard retaining wall remediation, citing imminent public health and safety risk. Avon Construction, which recently completed emergency repair and remediation to the upper wall adjacent to buildings, had expressed concern that remaining areas of the upper wall might fall during the 2016 spring thaw. KCA funds dictated that work on this area of the upper wall would not begin until mid-2016, following collection of 2016 assessments. The city is considering the KCA request and gathering infor- mation from various departments before bringing the matter before the Mayor and City Council. In the meantime, the KCA has continued to look for a way to accelerate remediation to the rest of the upper wall and complete this by late winter 2016. The estimate for this Phase 3 work is $400K. The KCA believes it has a solution. “We have been searching for a way to accelerate the current calendar,” said Chris Campbell, KCA Board chair. “We are not happy with completing Phase 3 in 2016 and Phase 4 (remediation of the lower wall) in 2017. … The original timeframe is not good for us.” KCA bylaws allow the governn retaining wall Continued on page 10 Page 2 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 October 2, 2015 The Town Courier Page 3 Oktoberfest Celebrates Community AROUND TOWN By Pam Schipper Compiled by Pam Schipper L ast October, Condé Nast Traveler included Oktoberfest at the Kentlands in its “10 Oktoberfests to Visit If You Can’t Make It to Munich.” This September, in the updated and reprinted article, Kentlands’ Oktoberfest is highlighted for how it “stretches across the picturesque Kentlands Village Green, Kentlands Mansion, Main Street, and Market Square.” CNTraveler picked up on the breadth and beauty of Kentlands’ Oktoberfest. As much as it is about the advent of fall and celebrating this in Germanic fashion with a Beer Garden, horse-drawn wagon rides and traditional performers like the Alte Kameraden German Band and Alt-Washingtonia Bavarian, it is also about what makes the new urbanist community great year-round. Here are a few community highlights of the Oct. 11, noon to 5 p.m. festival. The Arts Barn plans community art projects where festival-goers can add Photo | Submitted Markham Luke, Karen Norris, Mark Ludder, David Pier and John Vreeland perform on stage at Wolf Trap Sept. 26. Kentlands Acoustic Jam Moves to Music Photo | City of Gaithersburg The Alt-Washingtonia Bavarian dancers return again this year to Oktoberfest at the Kentlands on Sunday, Oct. 11. their own creative touches to a work in progress. Jaree and Jack Donnelly, Arts Barn resident artists in the Arts Entwine Studio, will be working in metal, including soldering and chasing, and also painting in acrylics. Visitors are invited to join them in their studio. The Donnellys also organize this year’s community painting project, “Home Is Where the Heart Is ... .” Visitors can add fingerprint hearts to this fun, annual community painting that will be n oktoberfest Continued on page 12 Paladar Executive Chef in the Fray With Flay By Sharon Allen Gilder L akelands resident Gregory Webb, the executive chef at Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar in Downtown Crown, recently went head-tohead with master chef Bobby Flay on the Food Network show “Beat Bobby Flay.” A call from one of the show’s producers set all of the ingredients in motion for Webb to apply, be interviewed, and ultimately be selected for the episode titled “Do or Die.” “They said that they have talent scouts out all the time and my name had been kicked around for a season or two so they reached out,” said Webb. The lengthy application process, with the risk of elimination at every round, began with an application that took him four hours to complete. Next came a Skype interview and then the request for eight signature dishes to be considered for the competition. “That’s a very difficult process for a working chef. You have to give photos and recipes that Photo | Submitted Lakelands resident and Paladar Executive Chef Gregory Webb recently competed on “Beat Bobby Flay” with his Chiles Rellenos de Tinga a Pollo. have been tested and done for six people down to the details, and you need to have executed each of them under a timed scenario to be sure you can do it.” A pre-production, on-location interview in Gaithersburg, with camera shots of Webb’s family and working shots in Paladar’s kitchen, consumed half a day for the resulting 20-second final cut of his background information that aired. When time for taping came, Webb arrived at the studio in New York at 5 a.m. Filming, that concluded at 5 p.m., began at 7 a.m. with pre- and post-interviews for the clips inserted into the episode along with the timed cooking challenge. “You know, the actual time when you’re in the kitchen has to be the time shown on television. … Those clocks are real. You don’t get to get into the kitchen until 15 minutes before you start cooking. You don’t get to know where the meat is or the vegetables are … that’s all real,” noted Webb. The show hailed him as “Tex-Mex master Gregory Webb who has made a great name for himself in five U.S. cities and Mexico.” His opponent, Peter Morris, was introduced as “one of New Jersey’s best new chefs.” Morris recently won top chef of New Jersey. Webb said, “I’m thinking to myself, why did you give me this guy?” “The premise of the show is, you n Paladar Continued on page 13 Photo | Mac Kennedy Bike Gaithersburg hosted a Kidical MASSIVE Ride on Sept. 19, bicycling from the Main Street Pavilion to the Crown development. Towns and cities across the United States and around the globe hosted Kidical MASSIVE Rides that day to demonstrate that biking with groups is safe, healthy and fun. On Saturday, Sept. 26, the Kentlands Acoustic Jam played Wolf Trap for a second time. The group’s performance was part of the fourth annual “Let’s Move with Music at Wolf Trap!” The free, annual event encourages children and families to be active and promotes a healthy lifestyle. KCA Works to Address Traffic Issues The Kentlands Citizens Assembly (KCA) Board discussed traffic issues in the neighborhood, especially speeding and motorists not obeying stop signs, at its Sept. 23 meeting. Areas of concern included Kent Oaks Mews and Beckwith Street. Barney Gorin, KCA president, said that the City of Gaithersburg told him a speed survey would be done on Beckwith within the next few weeks. He cautioned, though, that the city “must find a significant percentage of cars driving 15 miles per hour over the limit. Otherwise, they will regard everything as OK.” Unsafe driving on Kent Oaks Mews, which is especially problematic before and after school as parents use Kent Oak Mews as a shortcut in their drive to Rachel Carson Elementary and Lakelands Park Middle while other children are walking to school, is being addressed with a new stop sign. Gorin said Ollie Mumpower, engineering services division chief in the City of Gaithersburg Department of Public Works, will have the sign installed, but he is not sure about enforcement. Kent Oaks Mews is owned by the KCA, not the city. Blazing the Muddy Branch Trail The Muddy Branch Alliance will mark the Muddy Branch Trail along the Lakelands portion on Oct. 9. Interns, employees from the Hilton, and Montgomery County personnel familiar with trailblazing will assist. This is the first part of the extension that will consistently mark paths from the Potomac to Great Seneca Highway. On Oct. 11, volunteers from a church will be marking the path and roadway from Muddy Branch Road to the Lakelands. They will also pick up trash along the stream and address invasive plants along the marked path. KCA Sponsors Oktoberfest Again This Year Look for a Kentlands Citizens Assembly (KCA) booth on Oct. 11 at the annual Oktoberfest celebration. Community groups like the Kentlands Garden Club will share what they do. The KCA’s $3,000-level sponsorship brings booth space and promotion in Oktoberfest marketing materials. Meet the Candidates Oct. 14 It’s official. Candidates for the Nov. 3 Gaithersburg municipal elections have been certified by the city’s n Around town Continued on page 11 Page 4 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 POLICEBeat 309 Main Street Gaithersburg, MD 20878 For Advertising: 301.279.2304 Also on the Web at www.towncourier.com. Diane Dorney Publisher news@towncourier.com Matt Danielson President matt@eink.net Pam Schipper Managing Editor pam@towncourier.com Debi Rosen Advertising Manager 301.279.2304 ads@towncourier.com Leslie Kennedy Advertising Sales 301-330-0132 leslie@towncourier.com Staff Photographers Arthur Cadeaux Yenrue Chen Christine DartonHenrichsen Staff Writers Jennifer Beekman Nora Caplan Mike Cuthbert Gina Gallucci-White Sharon Allen Gilder Betty Hafner Sheilah Kaufman Donna Marks Syl Sobel Maureen Stiles Ellyn Wexler Social Media Consultant Mac Kennedy ©2015 Courier Communications The Town Courier is an independent newspaper published twice a month that provides news and information for the communities of Kentlands, Lakelands and Quince Orchard Park in Gaithersburg, Md. The paper is published by Courier Communications, which is responsible for the form, content and policies of the newspaper. The Town Courier does not espouse any political belief or endorse any product or service in its news coverage. Articles and letters submitted for publication must be signed and may be edited for length or content. The Town Courier is not responsible for any claims made by advertisers Letters to the Editor and Commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, management or advertisers of The Town Courier. By Gina Gallucci-White Officer Helps Others Heal Through Her Art W hen a police officer or firefighter death occurs while in the line of duty anywhere in the United States, Montgomery County Police (MCP) Officer Rose Borisow receives a notification. She will spend hours searching the Internet for pictures of the officer and settings from their home district, as well as department images of their logo and badges. She combines the images to create a print honoring the fallen first responder. For the past three years, she has sent a personalized print to every family who has lost an officer while on duty, free of charge. “I work on this every day,” she said. “It’s my beginning and end day thing that I do for at least two or three hours at each end and sometimes more in the evening if I am off duty. ... The whole purpose of (the prints) is to honor our fallen brothers and sisters. I’ve given my whole life to this career. It’s more than a career. It’s in your soul. It’s my extreme honor to help remember their loved ones who have given their lives.” Borisow was first drawn to art as a teenager by neighbor and mentor Silver Spring resident Dorothy Williams, who taught her about graphic design. She began doing black-and-white pen drawings and pointillism of wildlife. Borisow chose a career in policing because “I had many times as a child when I felt helpless, and if I can help prevent one child from feeling that and having it affect them their Photo | Submitted Montgomery County Police Officer Rose Borisow creates art to honor fallen first responders from around the country and abroad. entire lives, then it is all worth it.” Joining MCP in 1988, Borisow has worked patrol her entire career and even has the distinction of being the first and only woman to serve on MCP’s SWAT team. She is currently stationed in Germantown, but she worked in Gaithersburg from 2008 until this year. Throughout her police career, she would stop creating art and then start back up again. About five to six years ago, she was at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., when she n Borisow Continued on page 15 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 cityscene Page 5 By Gina Gallucci-White Photo | City of Gaithersburg Constitution Gardens at 112 Brookes Ave. re-opened on Sept. 19. Constitution Gardens Re-Opens as Natural Play Space On Sept. 19, the City of Gaithersburg re-opened Constitution Gardens. It has grown into Maryland’s first natural play space in a municipal setting. Set aside a day, a morning or afternoon to explore this lovely space. You’ll be greeted by a bubbling millstone fountain, gazebo, peony and herb gardens, spiral walk and swinging wooden benches at the park entrance, 112 Brookes Ave. Some not-to-miss, guaranteed kid-pleasers are The Lost Library, a story circle featuring log benches, an over-sized storyteller’s chair, and a lending library box that harken back to when the Gaithersburg Library was located on this site; Bird’s Nest Hill log posts for climbing and pretending, as well as the garden’s insect hotel; Sliding Hill, full of embankment slides, stepping stones and a stump scramble; and Log Town with log playhouses, a sensory garden, a sand play area; and the Great Seneca Creek featuring picnic tables, a giant, sculptural fallen tree for climbing, and a dry creek with a hand pump. Voter Registration Ends Oct. 19 If you want to make your voice heard in the Nov. 3 City of Gaithersburg election, be sure you register to vote soon because the deadline is Oct. 19. n city scene Continued on page 14 Photo | City of Gaithersburg Gaithersburg City Councilmember Mike Sesma and Senior Recreation Program Supervisor Rachel Tailby joined First Lady Michelle Obama for a celebration of Let’s Move! achievements. Gaithersburg Let’s Move! Travels to White House On Sept. 16, the City of Gaithersburg was recognized for its Let’s Move! Achievements. Gaithersburg City Councilmember Mike Sesma and Senior Recreation Program Supervisor Rachel Tailby joined First Lady Michelle Obama and representatives from other communities at the White House for a celebration. Gaithersburg was one of 52 communities to achieve gold medals in five categories that promote nutrition, physical activity, access to meals, healthy and sustainable food service guidelines and more. MEETING CALENDAR 10/5 10/12 School-Community United in Partnership (SCUP) Conference, Consortium of Universities at Shady Grove, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mayor and City Council Work Session, City Hall Council Chambers, 7:30 p.m. Senior Advisory Committee Meeting, Benjamin Gaither Center, 10:30 a.m. Mayor and City Council Meeting, City Hall Council Chambers, 7:30 p.m. 10/7 10/13 Community Advisory Committee Meeting, Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 6:30 p.m. Transportation Committee Meeting, Public Works Conference Room, 7 p.m. 10/14 Planning Commission Meeting, City Hall Council Chambers, 7:30 p.m. Board of Appeals Meeting, City Hall Council Chambers, 7:30 p.m. Multicultural Affairs Committee Meeting, Activity Center at Bohrer Park – Large Conference Room, 7:30 p.m. 10/8 10/16 Board of Supervisors of Elections Meeting, City Hall Gallery, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Olde Towne Advisory Subcommittee Meeting, City Hall Gallery, 7:30 p.m. 10/9 Educational Enrichment Committee Meeting, Wells/Robertson House Conference Room, 7:30 a.m. Economic and Business Development Committee meeting, City Hall Gallery, 7:30 a.m. For the latest information on city meetings, visit the City of Gaithersburg website at www.gaithersburgmd.gov. 301-657-3332 301-299-5222 Page 6 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 assignmenteducation Walk to School Day Planned Rachel Carson Elementary School staff, students and parents will participation in International Walk to School Day, Wednesday, Oct. 7. Everyone is invited to gather at the Kentlands pool/Tschiffely Square Road intersection at 8:20 a.m. This global event promotes pedestrian safety and the health benefits of walking. Thousands of schools from all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico will be participating in Walk to School Day. Report Suggests More Resources Needed to Close Achievement Gap On Sept. 22, the Montgomery Coun- ty Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) released a report, “Resources and Staffing Among Montgomery County Public Schools.” The report studied the achievement gap by student income in Montgomery County, and questioned whether the school system devotes enough resources to effectively reduce this gap. The report found “that MCPS allocates more staffing to its highest poverty schools yielding lower class sizes and higher personnel costs per student in high-FARMS (Free and Reduced-Price Meals) schools. The difference in per student compensation costs between high- and low-FARMS schools, however, is dampened by three trends: higher teacher salaries in lowFARMS schools, the allocation of a third of state revenue for compensatory education programs to non-compensatory education programs, and the allocation of less than a third of the total compensatory education budget to secondary schools. These findings suggest that MCPS could provide additional resources to its high-poverty schools and its high-FARMs secondary schools in particular to help narrow the achievement gap.” Technology Plan Slowed But Still Rolling Last school year, Chromebooks were Compiled by Pam Schipper placed in all Grade 3, 5, and 6 classrooms, as well as high school social studies classrooms. The plan was for the rollout to continue in Grades 2, 4, 7 and one more high school subject this year; however, budget reductions forced the Board of Education to remove that item from the operating budget in June. During the summer, MCPS decided to put off replacing desktop computers in offices and school labs and redirect that money to partially expand the Chromebook initiative. The devices will be placed in all Grade 4 classes and about 150 Grade 7 classes; however, the Grade 2 and high school expansions will be delayed at least one year. MCPS Facility Providing Food for Thought M By Sharon Allen Gilder ontgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) recently partnered with Maryland Hunger Solutions to host a tour of its Central Production Facility (CPF) and focus on the nutritious and affordable meals prepared there. “In a perfect world, I would like to be able to feed everybody,” said Marla Caplon, director of MCPS Division of Food & Nutrition Services. The new, expansive CPF, located at 8401 Turkey Thicket Drive in Gaithersburg, began operation on Jan. 5, 2015. Members of the Maryland State Department of Education, Montgomery County Board of Education, Manna Food Center, and legislators were among those participating in the tour led by Tom Davey, CPF warehouse specialist, and Mary Ann Gabriel, production facility supervisor. In a March 2014 USDA posting, “Healthy Breakfast, Healthy Future,” Kevin Concannon, undersecretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, wrote, “School breakfast fosters success in the classroom and also plays a critical role in helping children develop healthy habits that last a lifetime … studies show that students who eat breakfast do better on standardized tests, pay attention, behave better in class, and are less frequently tardy, absent or sent to the nurse’s office.” n school meals Continued on page 18 Photo | Pam Schipper Members of the Shaare Torah congregation donated tree stumps for the new, natural outdoor playscape at the nursery school. Playing Outside the Box By Pam Schipper O n a recent morning, the twos and threes at Shaare Torah Nursery School in Lakelands were hard at work playing together in a new, natural outdoor playscape sponsored by the Goodman family. Little ones climbed tire steps and went down a slide built into the hill. Others took the serpentine walk up the hill and gazed out at the world through the white picket fence. Some enjoyed sitting on tree stumps and sharing rocks they had collected in a pail. Many gravitated to the circular sandbox area. n new playground Continued on page 19 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 Page 7 Are you living with foot pain? Photo | Submitted When 23-year-old Kristopher met Trinity, an affectionate feline at the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, the cat adopted him. A Poignant Animal Welfare League Cat Tale By Sharon Allen Gilder “‘This human is under my care now,’ the cat says to the world.” —Thomas Bennett on Jackson Galaxy’s Facebook Page A poignant Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County (AWLMC) adoption story features a cat named Trinity and Kristopher, a 23-year-old with mild cerebral palsy, high-functioning autism, and anxiety disorder who is an honor student at Montgomery College majoring in video game design and production. His mother, Rhonda, who has now become a volunteer with AWLMC, shared that for several years they had tried to obtain a service dog with no success. Kristopher’s doctor suggested a cat. Online they learned about an adoption open house at the Kentlands PetSmart. “My son was sort of disinterested because he didn’t know what cats do. He’d never really been exposed to one, and he also has autism so it’s hard sometimes to engage him.” One of the volunteers suggested Rhonda and her son visit AWLMC’s shelter to get a better sense of the kind of cat they might want. “We went straight over there and it was the most amazing experience, especially for my son who is sensitive to smells and noises and new places, to essentially walk into a home and that’s what it was. We went from room to room and he sat on the chairs. He has cerebral palsy so he can only walk a few minutes at a time.” Rhonda was impressed with the friendliness and knowledge of the volunteers who shared the “kittiographies,” or background information, including the personalities of each cat, and they visited each room. They were armed with a wealth of helpful information as they began to leave the shelter when Kristopher needed to sit down. One volunteer suggested he sit in a room with two young cats. “I have a picture, because he sat down and Trinity walked up to him, jumped onto the arm of the chair, turned her back to him and started to purr. Everybody in there stopped and looked in that window and said, ‘Oh my gosh, are you seeing this’ and if you could have seen the look on my son’s face because he had been skeptical, but Trinity sat down on the arm of the chair with her sweet little face looking at him and he fell in love instantly, and you could feel the connection,” said Rhonda. n shoptalk adoption Continued on page 19 Compiled by Pam Schipper • CompleteFamilyFootand AnkleCare • PodiatricMedicineandSurgery • Non-InvasiveShockwave TherapyforHeelPain(ESWT) • SportsMedicine • DiabeticFootCare • IngrownToenail,NailFungus • InofficeDiagnosticUltrasound forinjuriesetc. NEW Laser Treatment for Toenail Fungus Jon M. SherMan, DPM, FaCFaS Board Certified in Foot Surgery Diplomate American College of Podiatric Surgery 301-330-5666 60 Market Street, Suite 202 Gaithersburg, MD 20878 www.kentlandsfootdoctor.com A cup of coffee and a second opinion When the markets turn as volatile and confusing as they have over the past few years, even the most educated and patient investors may come to question the wisdom of their financial plan and the investment strategy that they've been following. At Triton Wealth Management, we've seen a lot of difficult markets come and go and we can certainly empathize with those who find the current environment troublesome and disturbing. We'd like to help, if we can, and to that end, here's what we offer: A cup of coffee and a second opinion Photo | Sharon Allen Gilder Marilyn Balcombe, Henry Marraffa, and Pinky and Pepe Rodgers cut the ribbon on Sept. 25 to celebrate five years in Kentlands. Grape Escape Has a Cut Above Ribbon Cutting Ceremony “We were completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and love,” said Pinky Rodgers about the over 250 well-wishing customers, family and friends who embraced her and her husband, Pepe, throughout the evening on Sept. 25 to celebrate the five-year anniversary of their business, Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape, in Kentlands. Marilyn Balcombe, president and CEO of the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce, presented a proclamation from Montgomery County, signed by County Executive Isiah Leggett, and a proclamation from the State of Maryn shop talk Continued on page 17 60 Market St. Suite 207 | Gaithersburg, MD 20878 301-330-7500 | info@TritonWM.com Triton Wealth Management is an independent fee-only Registered Investment Advisory firm. Page 8 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 arts& entertainment Main Street Farmers Market Oct. 3 & 10, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Main Street Pavilion Products available for purchase include a vast assortment of fruits and vegetables, jams and jellies, various herbs, cut flowers, and potted plants, baked goods, dog treats, meat, eggs, and honey. Seasonal arts and craft vendors sell jewelry, photographs, health and beauty products, knitted items, quilts, purses, woodworking items, clothing, children’s accessories, yard art, and more! www.gaithersburgmd.gov Multimedia Exhibit by Arts Barn Faculty Through Oct. 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1:30-5:30 p.m. Sat., Arts Barn Gaithersburg’s Arts on the Green presents a multimedia exhibit featuring the work of Arts Barn faculty members, Vian Borchert, Howard Cohen, Jaree Donnelly, Tony Glander, Sue Kay, Natalya Parris, and Firouzeh Sadegh. This once-a-year exhibit of personal works features an exciting mix of mediums and styles that reflects the broad talent of the educational staff. Free. www. gaithersburgmd.gov The Hot Sardines: Opening Night Oct. 3, 8 p.m., BlackRock Center for the Arts Take a blustery brass lineup, layer it over a rhythm section led by a stride-piano virtuoso in the Fats Waller vein, and tie the whole thing together with a “oneof-the-boys” front-woman with a voice from another era, and you have the Hot Sardines. Tickets are $36-$50. www. blackrockcenter.org Kellylee Evans Oct. 4, 5 p.m., BlackRock Center for the Arts The unstoppable singer/songwriter Kellylee Evans is a chameleon-like performer whose thriving career in Canada and France over the last decade has recently brought her into the spotlight in the U.S. Her arresting combination of soul, pop, hip-hop, and improvisational jazz vocal style come together to create a simultaneously fresh and retro sound. Tickets are $18-$30. www.blackrockcenter.org Hispanic Heritage Month Reception Oct. 5, 6-7:30 p.m., Activity Center at Bohrer Park An evening of Latin dancing and artwork celebrates the vibrant history and cultures of Latin America. Juntos, a Latin dance group at Quince Orchard High School, will perform different styles of Latin dancing, present historical background and provide a beginner dance lesson. Members of The Latino Art League will be on hand to answer questions and give insight into their exhibition of multimedia artwork, on display at the Activity Center through Oct. 25. Light refreshments will be served. www.gaithersburgmd.gov Kentlands Acoustic Jam Oct. 6, 6 p.m., Kentlands Clubhouse; Oct. 11, 12 p.m., Acorn Stage, 353 Main St. Popular Model Backing to NIST in Quince Orchard Park! 3 bedroom 2.5 bath (including a Jack & Jill) Colonial with walk out basement. Cooks kitchen with new appliances and custom wall with extra pantry and built-in shelves. You have to see this one - call me today. $559,000 568 Orchard Ridge Rd. Quince Orchard Park - $349,000 Neo Classic single family home in Quince Orchard Park. You will love the flow of this home, all the way to the large deck and fenced Back Yard. 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 4 levels, gourmet kitchen, finished basement and a 2 car garage. Call me today. $599,000 311 Winter Walk Drive Quince Orchard Park - $479,000 RE/MAX REALTY GROUP OF CROWN Compiled by Pam Schipper Bring your acoustic instrument and voice to join in the jam session, or just listen. Free. www.reverbnation.com/ kentlandsacousticjam ‘An Evening with Frederick Forsyth’ Oct. 7, 7-9 p.m., Gaithersburg Library, 18330 Montgomery Village Ave. Frederick Forsyth is the author of 15 internationally best-selling novels and two short story collections. A former pilot and print and television reporter for Reuters and the BBC, in 2012 he won the Diamond Dagger award from the Crime Writers’ Association for a career of sustained excellence. Five of his books, starting with “The Day of the Jackal,” have already been made into successful films, and a major motion picture based on “The Kill List” is currently in the works. But what most people don’t know is that some of Forsyth’s greatest stories of intrigue have been in his own life. During this event, Forsyth will talk about his new memoir, “The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue,” in which he reveals that his adventures and personal experiences have been as gripping as any twisting plot line found in his collection of blockbuster novels. Free. www.gaithersburgmd.gov ‘Shades of Geometry’ Oct. 9-Nov. 15, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1:30-5:30 p.m. Sat., Arts Barn; Opening ren arts & entertainment Continued on page 19 Photo | Submitted Birds of Chicago performs free at Oktoberfest on Oct. 11, noon at the Main Street Stage. Singer Songwriter Concert Series – Birds of Chicago Oct. 10, 3 p.m. singer songwriter workshop, Arts Barn; Oct. 11, noon-2 p.m. concert, Oktoberfest Main Street Stage Birds of Chicago is a collective built around husband and wife duo JT Nero and Allison Russell. Their brand of rock and roll poetry centers around Nero’s fractured country soul croon wrapped in Russell’s silver-andgold tones for a harmony blend that is like nothing else in music today. Fired by the band, it’s a full tilt revival – streamlined poems, deep grooves, sharp hooks and joyful singing straight from the gut. Concert is free. Tickets for songwriting workshop are $20. www.gaithersburgmd.gov The Town Courier October 2, 2015 Page 9 Photo | Philip Robertson For the first time, Kosovo is represented at the Manhattan Short Film Festival. “Shok,” directed by Jamie Donoughue, is about two boys fighting to survive during the Kosovo War. Manhattan Short Returns By Mike Cuthbert E xpanding this year to two days and four showings, the popular Manhattan Short Film Festival returns to the Paragon Theaters in Kentlands. The program, showing on Sept. 27 and Oct. 1 at 4 and 7 p.m., consists of 10 short films under 20 minutes in length from eight countries, including, for the first time, Kosovo. The feature that distinguishes this festival from most others is that the audience votes on their favorite films and actors. The results are announced on the day after the festival closes, Oct. 5. This year’s entries sound like the usual provocative films that make it to this festival. From Finland comes “Listen.” A woman in a burka brings her son to the police station to file a domestic violence complaint in Copenhagen, but the interrogator doesn’t seem to understand the nature of the complaint. “Dad in Mum” (France) features two young sisters who investigate curious moaning behind their parents’ door. “Bear Story” (Chile, animated) is a Chilean allegory about the politics of “disappearance” in the 1970s. “Forever Over” (Germany) focuses on Mia and Tim, who have been together forever (at least it feels like that) and are seeking that which has become lost over the years by fulfilling each n manhattan short Continued on page 21 Rooted in Harmony: Shelley Sims’ MixedMedia Works Express Balance Within By Pam Schipper F or Quince Orchard Park artist Shelley Sims, the new Arts Barn group exhibit opening Oct. 9, “Shades of Geometry,” is all about balance. Sims strives for “harmony and balance” in her mixed media work, and not just in the end result. “Each step, I ask if this works,” she said. “It’s the interplay of patterns, color, images.” Sims finds inspiration in nature during her walks in the neighborhood, especially around Inspiration Lake, an area that she loves. “I’m excited to be there (in the group exhibit) at the Arts Barn,” she said. “I love that we have that in the neighborhood.” As she walks, Sims takes all of the patterns and colors in, and when she stops to create, often in 30-minute increments, “ultimately, it’s coming from within oneself … it’s all how you express it.” Sims attended the Maryland Institute, College of Art in Baltimore before studying papermaking at the Corcoran Gallery School in D.C. But she has always been an artist. In kindergarten when the teacher passed out stencils to help the children with their drawings, Sims remembers always putting these aside and working freehand. “Art was always a part of me intrinsically,” she said. “It’s who I am.” She was drawn to papermaking for its tactile, irregular and organic properties. “Working with handmade paper is a tactile, sensory experience,” she explained. “I enjoy working with the fundamentals: color, shape, texture, pattern. The richly dyed papers contain organic material, such as plant fibers, bark scraps, grasses and tree debris.” Making paper from scratch is laborious and requires a lot of space, so these days Sims works with papers that other people make. n ‘shades of geometry’ Continued on page 15 Don Hoffacker’s Air Conditioning & Heating, Inc. “We have been given top ratings for both price & quality by a local, prominent consumer group.” SALES • SERVICE • INSTALLATIONS HEAT PUMPS HUMIDIFIERS AND FURNACES 19703 Waters Road Germantown, MD 20874 check us out on angieslist.com 301-972-0017 LOOKING FOR A HOME OR CONSIDERING REFINANCING? CHOOSING A LOAN JUST GOT EASIER! BEN TAHERI Mortgage Loan Officer - Retail 202.253.2959 ben.taheri@capitalone.com 600 14th St. NW Suite 750 Washington, DC 20005 NMLS: 202319 CALL ME TO FIND OUT HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. Products and services offered by Capital One, N.A., NMLS ID 453156, Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. ©2015 Capital One. All rights reserved. Page 10 The Town Courier ■ retaining wall from page 1 ing body to borrow 10 percent of its operating budget of $1.5 million each year. This would mean the KCA could borrow $150K in 2015 and another $150K in early 2016. Campbell said that the Board has been working with a local lender to determine feasibility and terms of the loans. The KCA also has consulted with its attorney to determine if borrowing from the Titleholders Initial Contribution (TIC) Fund is permitted according to the bylaws. Controlled by the KCA, the TIC Fund is used for the social betterment of the community, explained Campbell. The KCA makes annual contributions from this fund to the Kentlands Community Foundation, the Kentlands/Lakelands 5K and, recently, Kentlands 25 events. The KCA attorney advised that borrowing from the TIC Fund for retaining wall remediation is permissible. Campbell said ■ new restaurant Tickets: A ghoulish twist on theater—and on halloween! Set in the historic Kentlands Mansion, the audience helps solve a murder mystery. from page 1 ing up excitement about what his kitchen will do with it. It’s sure to be something because Conte is hot stuff. Recently executive chef at The Oval Room near The White House, a 2010 James Beard Foundation finalist for “Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic,” and a 2006 “Rising Star” according to StarChefs.com, Conte’s resume includes Jean-Georges’ New York restaurants Vongerichten and Jojo. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America, but he came by his passion for preparing and serving good food organically. Growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, he learned old-world cooking traditions from his Italian grandparents. The family grew their own vegetables and fruit, and made their own tomato sauce, wine and sausage. In high school, he worked at an Italian restaurant there and learned how to make really good New York-style pizza. By the early ‘90s he had joined Sole e Luna in Westport, Connecticut, where Chef Gene Jerome turned him on to local produce and only using the best of ingredients—careful sourcing that Conte continues to this day. In the late ‘90s, he and his brother opened Pesce in Branford, Connecticut, which was ranked “Best New Restaurant” by Connecticut Magazine. But all of this is not why Conte is hot stuff. Rather, it’s the intensity he brings to his ingredients and his creativity in combining them. “The dough is most important,” Conte said. He experimented with a number of flours, including the highly touted Caputo 00 Flour, before discovering a combination of three that makes a dough that is “crispy, light and airy” with the right amount of chew. “I looked for flour for a long time,” he said. His perfect dough turns on one October 2, 2015 the KCA plans to borrow $100K from this fund, thereby raising the needed Phase 3 $400K in funds, when combined with the two $150K loans. A resolution concerning acceleration of Phase 3 has been circulated to Kentlands homeowners, giving them 30-days’ notice of the pending KCA vote on pursuing two loans and borrowing from the TIC Fund. Residents are invited to provide comment at the next Board meeting on Oct. 28, 7 p.m. A vote on the resolution will be taken that evening. Avon Construction has finished structural work on the upper retaining wall adjacent to buildings; decorative work—encasing steel beams in concrete—also should be completed soon. President Mark Avon said his company could continue work on the rest of the upper wall without a break in effort, Campbell relayed. This would put completion of Phase 3 by February or early March 2016. secret ingredient flour that he is specially importing in 50-pound bags for the restaurant. When it comes to a great pizza, tomatoes and cheese are next. Conte said he will source locally as much as possible, and he is committed to using natural or organic ingredients. Meals at Inferno will feature traditional dishes, but with a twist. “We will find our identity within the rules (of AVPN-certified Neapolitan pizza),” Conte said. “I like the authenticity and heritage of it.” For example, instead of the usual garden-variety mushrooms that grace pizzas, Conte will use Porcinis, cauliflower and burgundy truffles. Once the pizza menu is established—and Conte is committed to cooking four pies at a time to maintain quality even though the wood-fired oven can hold eight—each week will feature one meat and one fish dish on the menu as well, cooked in the wood-fired oven or the restaurant’s hightech combi-oven. And for dessert? Inferno has a soft serve ice cream machine and with it, Conte said, the restaurant will go well beyond the usual flavors. He is thinking about chocolate with mint and even corn. The best spot in the 39-seat restaurant may well be the marble-topped counter near the beautifully tiled and dragonfly-themed wood-fired oven. Snuggle up with a glass of wine and watch your pizza as it is being prepared. Each 11-inch pizza cooks in 90 seconds when the Marana Forni oven is fired to between 800 and 900 degrees. “I am circling back to where I began,” Conte said of his new restaurant debut. He’s also marrying authentic Neapolitan pizza with culinary creativity and expertise, bringing it all home to Gaithersburg where he lives, just a short two-mile ride down the road. www.towncourier.com October 2, 2015 ■ ART FESTIVAL from page 1 experience, to say the least,” Auxier added. He hopes Kentlands restaurateurs benefitted from the fact that outside food vendors were not admitted. Howard Alan, whose Florida-based company produces 35 juried art fairs, including the Alexandria King Street Art Festival and the Arlington Festival of the Arts, rates the outcome of the show as “OK, considering the location.” Although “numbers were significantly lower than we had anticipated, we believe it was due to the location. We hope to grow the show and return to the downtown Main Street as opposed to a back parking lot.” Poor attendance may be attributed to location, but minimal advertising and signage are also factors. Facebook posters include Nina Gray: “It was a shame that so few people were there. I know it was in The Town Courier, but it wasn’t on any of the Kentlands pages” and Coleen Huggin Hayback: “This event The Town Courier had all the ingredients to be something special and new for the community. It’s a shame that so few knew about this. These talented and hard-working artists travel the country doing this, and they were disheartened by the turnout.” Paula Kovacs Ross wrote, “It’s really too bad that people didn’t seem to know about this little arts festival. There were some great vendors there, beautiful art.” And business owner Andrew Ross “felt terrible for vendors who had some really nice stuff, but were all ticked off being in a hidden parking lot away from the action with virtually no marketing. … I want nice things like that for Kentlands, and it’s a shame when it’s done poorly.” Those who did attend were pleased with the artwork. “Everyone I spoke with, and myself, were very impressed with the quality of the items on display,” Auxier said. Kentlands resident Petrina Wolf had a lovely experience. “I thought it was great, different from most … a lot of original art; the artists were so friendly and chatting about their work. My friend bought her first original painting (by Roy Rodriguez) and is so Page 11 delighted. We bought silver tortoises for fun.” Lakelands resident Laurie Miller purchased a great pair of contemporary earrings from Pittsburgh-based Kim Evans’s Divergence Design. And her friend bought a stunning pair from Melissa Luoma of Serenity Jewels of Minneapolis. Some artist participants expressed hope for the future of an art fair in the Kentlands. Robin Markowitz of Rockville-based SDJ Designs notes, “The show will be great if they can get the permits for Main Street. The area works for an arts buying patron. Howard Alan was gracious and did right by offering all the artists a credit toward the next show.” Kim Evans concurred, “Other than the location, I thought the management did a great job. The quality of the artists was top-notch and the people who attended were very appre- ciative of the art. I actually had pretty good sales, considering this was a first-time show. I would like to see Howard Allen Events do this show again—just at a location with more visibility.” Washington Grove printmaker Joseph Craig English said, “I had a very enjoyable and successful show thanks, in large part, to the mailing I did in advance of the show. I think the Kentlands is a great audience and a wonderful community for an arts festival. I hope that this show will make a repeat appearance next year with a little more advance planning and publicity to get it up to speed.” “Let’s make sure to try and thank them for coming out and promise to expand next year if they give us the chance,” Auxier said. From his mouth to the ears of Howard Alan Events and its talented artists. aroundtown from page 3 Board of Supervisors of Elections. Jud Ashman, Darline D.H. Bell-Zuccarelli and Henry F. Marraffa Jr. will run for mayor. Neil H. Harris, Laurie-Anne Sayles, Ryan Spiegel and Robert T. Wu will compete for three City Council seats. The mayoral term will be two years (to fulfill the elected mayoral term of Sidney Katz who joined the Montgomery County Council), and councilmembers serve the community at large for a four-year term. On Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m., the Kentlands Citizens Assembly will hold a Town Meeting at the Kentlands Clubhouse. Each candidate will give a brief statement and then audience members can ask questions. This is not a debate. Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Massage We participate with most insurance plans. See our website for details. www.swistakchiro.com Our treatments include gental manipulation, myofascial release, electrical stimulation, cold laser, and exercise. All treatments are catered to each patient’s individual needs in addition to their tolerance levels. If you are in pain and you are looking for a friendly place to help you get better, give us a call. Page 12 The Town Courier ■ oktoberfest fall SavingS! from page 3 displayed after the festival in the city’s gallery. In addition, Tony Glander, Arts Barn resident artist who also maintains a glass studio there, will offer “a cool community project that involves big doors,” shared Ian Brown-Gorrell, class and camp coordinator who leads the Arts Barn Oktoberfest efforts. “The Arts Barn wants to promote the experience of art to the community,” Brown-Gorrell said. Kids’ projects will be offered indoors, and exhibiting artists like Shelley Sims will be on hand to speak about their work. The Arts Barn also invites festival-goers to have a bit of fun. Head to the indoor selfie station and take your picture with the Arts Barn ghost, Charlie. Brown-Gorrell declined to elaborate on the form Charlie will take, and instead encouraged people to come and discover Charlie for themselves. Selfies with Charlie can be posted to the Arts Barn Facebook page. Grown-ups (just to get the creativity flowing) can stop by the wine tasting at Kentlands Mansion. Local Maryland wineries Linganore Winecellars and The Winery at Olney, along with wine retailers Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape and The Wine Harvest, will pour a selection of 16 wines. Tasting packages are available for $10 (10 taste tickets) or $15 (16 taste tickets); both options come with a commemorative glass. Local restaurants The Melting Pot, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Whole Foods Kentlands and Boulevard Tavern will offer free food tastings on the Wine October 2, 2015 Terrace. Of course, there’s a traditional Beer Garden at Oktoberfest, too. This Old Farm area, consisting of the grounds of the Arts Barn and Kentlands Mansion, supports live entertainment on two stages, food, artists and crafters, free horsedrawn wagon rides, apple cider pressing, Oktoberfest crafts for kids, nonprofit vendors and more. In the commercial area of Kentlands, along Main Street, festival-goers will find four more stages of live entertainment—don’t miss the Singer Songwriter Concert Series performance by Birds of Chicago on the Main Street Stage at noon—a business expo, restaurants and shops to explore, as well as strolling entertainers, inflatables and kids’ activities. Oktoberfest admission and parking are free. Free wheelchair accessible shuttle service will run regularly during festival hours to and from satellite parking at 200 Orchard Ridge Drive, just off of Quince Orchard Road. Oktoberfest at the Kentlands is hosted in partnership with Dogfish Head Ale House and the Kentlands Community Foundation. It is sponsored in part by Kentlands Square by Saul, Kentlands Citizens Assembly, Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape, Rosenthal Acura, Elaine Koch, iHeart Media, Mike Aubrey, Washington Parent, Whole Foods Kentlands, The Winery at Olney, The Wine Harvest, Linganore Winecellars, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, The Melting Pot and the Maryland State Arts Council. Briggs Painting & Guttering Painting Carpentry Power Washing Drywall Free Estimates! Jeffrey Briggs Owner 301-509-4659 jjeff5477@aol.com Rockville, MD Owner Supervised 38 Years in Business MHIC 127301 October 2, 2015 ■ Paladar from page 3 want to compete against Bobby Flay with your signature dish, but there are two of you, and Bobby says you have to compete against each other to get to me and I’m going to name an item that you need to make the centerpiece of your dish.” Pomegranate seeds were Flay’s item of choice. Morris and Webb had two minutes to envision a dish incorporating the seeds and 20 minutes to execute it for judging by chefs Scott Conant and Geoffrey Zakarian. “I have very limited experience with pomegranates,” said Webb. All went well for him in round one. He beat Morris and was selected to compete against Flay in round two with his signature dish. Webb’s Chiles Rellenos de Tinga a Pollo was chosen by the show. Conant, watching Webb’s skilled preparation, said, “He’s cooking like a native over there.” Webb spent the past 15 years studying authentic interior Mexican cuisine that features slow cooking and braising as opposed to “cocina de la frontera” or border cuisine. Flay self-critiqued, “Mine is a little bit of a modern spin on the classic … a more contemporary, southwestern version.” Webb maintained a confident repartee when questioned about his preparation techniques as he held his own in the almost manic, beat-the-clock pace of the set. Three food expert judges blind taste-tested the Webb and Flay versions of the dish. Webb said, “By split decision, Bobby won. It was very close. I thought I won the whole time, I really did … a lot of people did actually. If you look at the two dishes, his is extremely simple and very minimalist, and he got criticized for it by the The Town Courier judges. I was doing a full, traditional meal.” Webb said a highlight for him was having time to talk with Flay after the judging and gain insight from him. “Talking with a guy who’s really the face of Food Network and how he approaches the whole thing was a good education for me.” A number of years ago, he worked with Flay for one week at Mesa Grill in New York City. “He didn’t remember me,” laughed Webb. “Bobby has a real TV personality but you know, people forget, he’s a master chef and he’s no joke. He’s really a personable, normal, hard-driven guy, and so I asked him, do you have like some system or technique or a program that you use to get yourself ready for these things, and he goes, ‘Chef, all I’m trying to do is finish the dish.’ I asked him, are you nervous? ‘Oh, God yes. I never know if I’m going to do it.’” Webb said Flay added, “I have techniques, if you watch, and I use them really regularly, and I stick to those techniques because I know they work and I try not to step out of it.” Webb, who trained in 50 kitchens, said he developed his skills by the “old school technique” of chasing down the best chefs in the cities where he worked. He credits chef Robert Neroni as one of his early mentors who told him he was “really raw and needed to be exposed to better cooking and better chefs.” Neroni wrote a letter of introduction for him with a list of top chefs to contact. Webb said, “I traveled the country working for those chefs. The term ‘self-taught’ is not true … you learn from others and that’s what I did. For a long time, the expression has been, get into the best kitchen that you can and when you stop learning, leave.” Learning and teaching are a large part of Webb’s day. He said he enjoys instructing his cooks and “providing them with a livelihood by giving them better techniques and improving what they do. Being a chef is being a teacher. The greatest satisfaction for me is taking a dishwasher and seeing him turn into a chef. I’ve done that many, many times in my career and it’s great fun to do that.” Webb’s inspiration came from his mother who he said was a tremendous home chef who had a love for good food from scratch. “You know, with the family table … I learned after 30 years in the kitchen that what drives me is that gratification … that doing something nice for somebody else. Eating is about shared experience, giving, providing pleasure, obtaining satisfaction … and I can bring that to people and I still get a big charge out of it. I found my expression in cooking. … It’s a good place for me to be, it’s very hands on, it’s very physical, and it’s got a lot of artistry.” He mused that on the day before his day off, his refrigerator miraculously becomes filled (by his wife) with all of the raw material needed for numerous preparations. “So, every day on my day off, I just cook everything in the frig.” Paladar celebrated its one-year anniversary on Sept. 30 with an outdoor event featuring a deejay, rum punch, and Webb grilling sample menu items on little skewers. He said, “For the first time in this area you can do sort of a D.C. quality restaurant without having to go to Bethesda. The Gaithersburg scene is really picking up, and we’re right in the center of it. It’s vibrant and exciting with lots of variety.” Webb moved to Lakelands from New York City six years ago. “We came down from Manhattan just after our first child was born and we just love it down here. … We found a home for life.” For more information, visit www.thejourneymanchef.com. Page 13 Chef Webb’s Chiles Rellenos de Tinga a Pollo Chiles Rellenos are about as iconic a dish of Mexican Cuisine as there can be. There are many, many types of these stuffed chiles throughout Mexico. This style is prepared in Mexico City and elsewhere. Here's a stuffed, lightly battered poblano chile filled with a spicy braised chicken in chipotle pepper sauce, with rice and a salad. The chicken filling, known as “Tinga de Pollo,” is ubiquitous around all of Mexico, with regional variations, and presented in a multitude of ways—singularly as an entree, or on sopes, but most often perhaps with tacos. The meal is completed with traditional accompaniments—Arroz Mexicano Rojo, salsa jitomate casada and a refreshing salad featuring a delicious citrusy vinaigrette. This is about as typical and delicious a Mexican meal as you can find. Serves Six. Ingredients & Procedures: Arroz Mexicano rojo: cook time 25 min long grain rice, 2 c, toasted white onion, 4 oz w garlic, 3/4 oz w avocado leaves, 3 ea chile de arbol, 3 ea tomato juice, 6 oz v chicken stock, 8 oz v butter, 2 oz w Toast rice in oil for a light golden brown, then add in the remaining listn recipe Continued on page 22 Page 14 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 cityscene from page 5 Voters will be deciding on who will fill three council seats and the office of mayor. City residents who are registered to cast a ballot in Montgomery County are automatically registered to vote in city elections. For those who will not be able to attend Election Day, there will be three early vot- ing days held at City Hall on South Summit Ave.: Oct. 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Oct. 27 from 3 to 8 p.m. and Oct. 31 from noon to 5 p.m. Absentee ballots are also available beginning Oct. 2; these can be downloaded online, picked up at City Hall or requested through the mail at 301.258.6310. All absentee ballots must be received by Nov. 3. For more information, call the Elections Clerk at 301.258.6310. CHARACTER COUNTS! The City of Gaithersburg will have a month-long celebration honoring the national ethics program CHARACTER COUNTS! Adopted by the City in 1996, this month-long celebration’s theme is “In Gaithersburg, We Live, Learn & Play Together.” Local events include: •Oct. 11 from noon to 5 p.m. Oktoberfest at the Kentlands celebration. Students will be hosting a pumpkin painting activity with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the CHARACTER COUNTS! scholarship. •Oct. 16 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Youth and Law Enforcement Summit at Gaithersburg High School. Students and law enforcement officials will have dialogue circles. •Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Gaithersburg Shreds at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park. Nonperishable food items will be collected to donate to the Manna Food Center. •Oct. 21 Members of the Benjamin Gaither Center will partake in a diversity program “What the pillars of character mean to you and how they have improved your life in the United States or abroad?” •Oct. 24 from noon to 3 p.m. Mall-o-ween at Lakeforest Mall and Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. and Spooky Tots at RIO Washingtonian Center: CHARACTER COUNTS! information will be distributed at both events. •Oct. 27 beginning at 11 a.m. Character-themed books will be read to toddlers at StoryTime Station at the Community Museum. I CAN HEAR THE LEAVES UNDERFOOT 500 OFF $ a set of AGX5, 7, or 9 hearing technology. Expires 10/30/15. Hear all that life has to offer with the help of Hearing HealthCare, Inc. Call for a complimentary hearing consultation and free clean & check of your current devices. 301.637.3202 Hearing HealthCare, Inc. Doctors of Audiology Serving the community for over 19 years HearingHealthCareInc.com Wheaton 3913 Ferrara Drive Rockville 2403 Research Blvd, Ste 100 October 2, 2015 The Town Courier Page 15 ■ borisow from page 4 saw the bronze adult lion statues watching over the cubs and decided to incorporate the profession she loves into her art. Borisow does a variety of different prints including retirement, custom, K-9, and Fraternal Order of Police. She can create pet tributes and make T-shirts and posters. The money earned from these sales and direct donations goes toward funding the free line-of-duty pieces. “It’s more a labor of love, but I have made so many meaningful relationships and connections through this artwork that it more than makes up for breaking even,” she said. “I mean, that’s all I hope to do with my art work is break even and honor our brothers and sisters.” Sandoval County (New Mexico) Sheriff ’s Deputy Tanya Harden remembers coming across Borisow’s art work while looking at the Officer Down Memorial page. One of Harden’s colleagues, Sgt. Robert Baron, died in the line of duty in December 2013 and Borisow created a print to honor the officer. Borisow and Harden chatted over Facebook messenger and quickly formed a lasting friendship. “Rose has the soul of an angel and a heart biger than the universe for anybody,” Harden said. “She would do anything for $289,900 Photo | Submitted Montgomery County Police Officer Rose Borisow sends a personalized print to every family who has lost an officer while on duty, free of charge. anybody in a heartbeat.” The work is very draining and emotional. Just about every line-of-duty death will have her shedding tears. “The evil in the world will never know the love that (police officers) have for each other,” she said. “They can never match that. They just know how to hurt and cause pain, but we would give our lives for another officer in a heartbeat and a citizen. They wouldn’t do that.” Borisow’s work has been shipped all over the United States and multiple countries, including England, Germany and Canada. For more information, go to Borisow’s website at www.roseborisowgrafx.com or email her at code3art@aol.com. ■ ‘shades of geometry’ from page 9 “They’re stunningly beautiful in their own right,” she said. “For me in my work, I am always practicing restraint. I don’t want to overdo it. … I want to enhance the paper, not take away from it.” As Sims’ art grew, so did her interest in Tibetan Buddhism. “Both started small, in a seed-like way, and they have grown over time,” she said. She is part of Kunzang Palyul Choling in Poolesville, which is led by the only American woman ever recognized as tulku, or intentional reincarnation. Sims said that the teachings of Jetsunma just made sense to her. “Tibetan Buddhism and art has always coexisted,” she said. “It’s completely complementary, completely integrated.” Sims will exhibit 10 pieces in the show. “The images I create are both abstract and symbolic,” she explained. “My abstract works are a play between form and color, placement and movement. I strive for balance and relationship, and a subtle sense of harmony that comes from integrating all the elements in a cohesive, dynamic image. My symbolic work is inspired by elements found in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, including the use of sacred seed syllables and mandalas or sacred concentric diagrams.” One such piece is entitled, “Om-AhHung,” which is a powerful mantra made up of three seed syllables in the Tibetan and Sanskrit language. “Each syllable represents the condensed essence of the enlightened body, speech and mind,” she said. Layers of meaning are represented in this work, and each syllable is also represented by a color—white for “om,” red for “ah,” and blue for “hung.” ++ Photo | Submitted Artist Shelley Sims exhibits 10 mixed-media pieces, including “Gold Circle – Square,” in the “Shades of Geometry” group exhibit opening Oct. 9 at the Arts Barn. Sims’ past exhibitions have included the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery in Silver Spring and Strathmore Hall in North Bethesda. “You don’t make these things to be exhibited,” she said. As an artist, she noted that “the process is as important as the final outcome.” Still, she feels honored to be exhibiting at the Arts Barn with fellow artists Lauren Kingsland and Fran Abrams, along with the artists of Vertical Glass—Steve Mockrin, Jane Charters, Karen Henderson, Hilde Leone and Tony Glander. Lauren Kingsland brings beautiful textile art, Fran Abrams exhibits fluid works in polymer clay, and the artists of Vertical Glass exhibit their stained and fused glass art. “Shades of Geometry” opens Friday, Oct. 9 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 15. An opening reception will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 7 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.gaithersburgmd. gov. Sun-filled 2 bed/2 bath condo in elevator building, freshly painted, gleaming hardwood floors & new carpet! Includes double storage unit! Steps from all the Kentlands has to offer! Call today for a showing! Michelle Teichberg Direct: (301) 365-9090 Cell: (301) 775-7263 michelle@bannerteam.com Page 16 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 The ParkPages News and Current Events for Quince Orchard Park n Meeting Calendar Oct. 13 — HOA Board Meeting, Clubhouse, 7 p.m. Oct. 26 — Condo Board I, Clubhouse, 7 p.m. Oct. 28 — Condo Board II, Clubhouse, 7 p.m. E-mail your contributions to ellyn@towncourier.com For Phipps Females, Community Service Is Key A proud military family has lived in Quince Orchard Park since 2002. The Phipps—Andrea and her daughters, Kara and Meghan— honor the memory of U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Michael J. Phipps, their late husband and father, respectively, via service to their community. The spine surgeon passed away in 2004. Meghan, a sophomore at the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, is enjoying her second year on the JV volleyball team as a co-captain. She recently took part in the first-ever Travis Manion Foundation/Philadelphia Outward Bound seven-day canoe camping trip for grieving teens in the Delaware Water Gap. “This trip reached far beyond what I anticipated. I challenged myself physically and honored my dad,” Meghan said. Travis Manion Foundation Expeditions, Andrea explained, “are service-based trips, developed and organized for families of the fallen and veterans to come together and serve others in honor of their fallen heroes. Expedition participants continue to heal and develop a community of support as they serve beside other veterans and survivors. Fully funded by the foundation, the Photo | Submitted Quince Orchard Park resident Andrea Phipps participated in the first annual Travis Manion Foundation Teen Expedition for children of fallen military service members. trips are organized in locations across the country and around the world.” The Phipps volunteered at the foundation’s 9/11 Heroes Runs across the U.S. and overseas, and Andrea will raise money, running on Team Travis and Brendan, at the Marine Corps Marathon 10K on Oct. 24. The trio also volunteer monthly at a local women’s shelter and are involved with the Yellow Ribbon Fund and Navy Gold Star program for the Washington, D.C., area. In the immediate community, Andrea serves on the QOP Homeowners Association Board of Directors, currently as secretary-treasurer. The family is active on the Diamond Farms Swim Team. In addition to volunteering at Basic Concepts Camp for two summers, Kara has been involved with the swim team for five years and was a junior coach during the 2015 season. At the pool, she has been an RSV lifeguard and this year, was assistant manager. She will be a co-captain on the SR Swim and Dive Team.1 in the winter, and will graduate from Stone Ridge in June 2016. Kara plans to study education, with a minor in mathematics and special education, in college. throw away their pool passes, as these will be reused next summer. If a barcode has worn off or the pass is damaged, it can be exchanged for free by returning it to TMGA with a note requesting replacement. Lost passes will be replaced next year for a $10 fee. Volunteers are needed to coordinate a Halloween event. Please contact Ruchita Patel or Alex Deering for further details. The annual home inspection is underway. Any resident who gets a letter should not ignore it as this may lead to enforcement action for uncorrected violations. Questions may be referred to Alex Deering or Marylou Bono. The 2016 draft budget will be sent out shortly. Feedback should be submitted, in writing, by Oct. 31. HOA News MedImmune New Construction Update At the Sept. 8 Quince Orchard Park Homeowners Association Board of Directors meeting, Liz Huntley, director of Corporate Citizenship and Community Relations at MedImmune, and four of her colleagues made a presentation about the status of the child care center and parking structure the company will construct in the near future. Board members and residents who attended took the opportunity to ask questions and express concerns. Eric Morrison, associate director, master planning at MedImmune, said he is working with the State of Maryland and the City of Gaithersburg on parkland and parking issues. He said there will be less development of the campus adjacent to the QOP residential area. The eight-tier, 1,400-car garage— with one tier below ground—is in the beginning planning stages, and will look october 2015 MANAGEMENT MENTIONS Trash and Recycling Management Notes The Management Group Associates (TMGA) says residents must stop putting out their trash in bags or open cans—rather than the mandated rigid, tightly closed, rodent-proof trash cans. This is creating a litter problem and a potential rodent issue. Enforcement of this policy will be stepped up, including the imposition of fines. TMGA reminds residents NOT to n like the two other garages on the campus. The Planning Commission approved the schematic development plan on Sept. 16. “Pending all necessary further approvals by the Planning Commission, the Mayor and the City Council, we would anticipate beginning construction of the garage in 2016, with completion possible by Q1 2017,” Huntley said. The city has approved the final site plan for the two-story, 20,000-squarefoot child care center at 501 Orchard Ridge Drive that will serve 140 children, ages 0 to 6, have about 20 employees, and be open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. MedImmune will soon be filing building permits for this employee amenity. The green building, which will be tiered down because of the grading of the land, will make use of solar and natural light, and have an unobtrusive six-foot fence around its perimeter along with a berm, plantings and a new stop sign. “We will begin site preparation in October, and residents can expect to see trucks and equipment on the site sometime later this month. We expect construction of the physical building beginning sometime after the first of the year and hope to have it completed and operational within a year of construction start (Q1 2017),” Huntley said. MedImmune Senior Project Engineer Patrick Miller said that work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and every effort will be made to minimize dust, noise and traffic issues. Additional parallel parking spots will be provided for QOP residents. “As part of the 6th Amendment to the Annexation Agreement signed between the City of Gaithersburg and MedImmune in March 2013, MedImmune provided funds for the city to use to build additional parallel parking spaces,” Huntley said. “The spaces were to be placed on the residential side of Orchard Ridge Drive as a continuation of the existing parallel parking spaces heading toward Great Seneca Highway.” Trash, which is collected on Tuesday and Friday, must be placed in lidded trash cans. Trash should not be left for collection in bags; these may be ripped open by dogs, birds and other pests, and trash is strewn throughout the community. Continued use of bags may result in fines. Consider painting your house number on your trash cans and lids so they may be returned on windy days. It is also helpful to label recycling bins with house numbers, and to place bagged newspapers and magazines atop commingled materials in the bin. Trash cans and recycle bins must be stored out of sight on non-pickup days. Recycling is picked up on Fridays. Containers, with lids, are now available from the City of Gaithersburg. Please contact the city at 301.258.6370 to have a lidded bin delivered and the old one picked up. The new bins will diminish problems with trash in the neighborhood. It is helpful to label recycling bins with house numbers. Lids may be attached to bins by drilling small holes and attaching with twine. Bulk recycling pickups are the first Friday of each month. Nov. 6 is the next bulk pickup day. The City of Gaithersburg and Potomac Disposal (301.294.9700) both offer collection services for bulk items at no cost. Dog Duty and Animal Services Information Cleaning up after dogs is the legal responsibility of every canine owner walking a dog in the community. Dogs are not permitted off-leash on common property in the City of Gaithersburg. Contact Information for Gaithersburg Animal Control To report after hours/emergency animal service calls, City of Gaithersburg residents must now contact the Montgomery County Emergency Communication Center (MCECC) at 301.279.8000. MCECC will then notify and dispatch a Gaithersburg Animal Control Officer for response. To report non-emergency animal service calls and for information on related animal matters during regular business hours, residents may contact the Gaithersburg Animal Control Office directly at 301.258.6343. Regular hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please visit www. gaithersburgmd.gov/services/animal-control. Website Agendas for meetings, as well as many important documents (minutes and meeting summaries), can be found at the QOP website: www.quinceorchardpark. com. QOP Management Contact Information Quince Orchard Park Community Manager Ruchita Patel QOP Assistant Community Manager Alex Deering c/o The Management Group Associates, Inc. 20440 Century Boulevard, Suite 100 Germantown, MD 20874 Phone: 301.948.6666 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 Page 17 shoptalk from page 7 land, signed by Governor Larry Hogan. Mayoral candidate and Gaithersburg City Councilmember Henry Marraffa was on-hand with Pinky, Pepe, Balcombe and a mega-sized pair of scissors to cut the ribbon suspended above the new beer bar designed, built, and donated by Marraffa. He said, “That’s my job on the City Council to help small businesses and I had the skills to do it so I did.” Tasty bites provided by Whole Foods, free wine tasting from Nick Materese of Siema Wines, free beer tasting from Mindy Pitts of DuClaw Brewing Company, and music by Harry Traynham added to the high notes of the evening. — Sharon Allen Gilder Explore a Kitchen Tune-Up at Oktoberfest Gaithersburg residents Lisa and Patrick Fisher grew up learning how to fix things. “My father was very handy; as a child who lived through World War II when people could not buy new things, he naturally learned how to fix what he had. He passed that down to my two brothers and me,” said Lisa. “Patrick also grew up learning to be handy and resourceful with his three brothers, so home remodeling is always something that we enjoyed.” They were pursuing careers in health care and business management when they decided to pursue their passion. The Fish- ers chose a Kitchen Tune-Up franchise because it offered “terrific training and tremendous support,” said Lisa. The Fishers opened their business in December 2014, and currently serve clients throughout Montgomery County, lower Frederick County and parts of Howard County. Kitchen Tune-Up will be under the vendor tent at Oktoberfest on Oct. 11, and the Fishers hope festival-goers will drop by with all of their kitchen remodeling questions. After 10 months in business, Lisa said, “The best part has been watching and experiencing reactions from our satisfied clients. We love seeing the ‘wow’ expression that comes over our clients’ faces when we finish a project. Some of the biggest ‘wows’ come from our signature one-day Tune-Up, a cabinet wood reconditioning process.” kitchentuneup.com/ gaithersburg-md Wine and Cheese Hosted at JT Interiors Nine cheeses will be paired with wine at the Saturday, Oct. 3, 1 to 5 p.m. event hosted by JT Interiors at Potomac House, 9906 River Road. Local resident Larry Goldman, certified food and beverage executive for Quintessential Hospitality Service, will present soft cheeses buffalo mozzarella, queso fresco and paneer with sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc; hard cheeses dry aged gouda, Parmesan and Pecorino Romano with cabernet sauvignon and Australian shiraz; and blue cheeses Stilton, Roquefort and Gorgonzola with Sauterne and port. www.facebook.com/ jtinteriorspotomac SPAGnVOLA Supports Tropical Storm Victims in Dominica You can help. SPAGnVOLA is selling one thousand chocolate bars made from cocoa produced in Dominica. When you purchase these bars for $25 each at SPAGnVOLA, 100 percent of sale proceeds will be donated to help victims of tropical storms in Dominica. SPAGnVOLA is earmarked to donate $25,000 to relief efforts there. “Over the past couple of weeks, the plight of Dominica has been weighing heavily on us here at SPAGnVOLA,” said Eric Reid, SPAGnVOLA CEO. “As such, my wife Crisoire and I have decided to move quickly to launch the new Dominica chocolate bar as a fundraiser to help in whatever way we can.” Bridget Edell Appears on ‘Good Day Washington’ The founder and star of the “Lip Gloss and A Sander” DIY home improvement show appeared on the new WUSA 9 daily morning lifestyle show, “Great Day Washington” Sept. 16. Host Chris Leary introduced Bridget Edell as “a woman who is known for taking old collectibles and bringing them back to life.” Edell, who is a Kentlands resident, showed Leary and co-host Markette Sheppard how to refinish a table. www.lipglossandasander.com Page 18 ■ school meals from page 6 The CPF serves the county’s 203 schools and two adult feeding locations. Caplon said the key is to provide nourishing meals that students will accept. Toward that effort, she said, “we are always open to suggestions” and new items are periodically added to the menus after testing among the division’s leadership team, field-testing in a school for student feedback, or sometimes establishing focus groups. Coming soon are gyros, a hearty beef and vegetable soup, and a yogurt parfait with fresh blueberries and crunchy, whole grain granola topping. Nine warehouse-size refrigerators and freezers keep foods at safe temperatures while awaiting preparation and distribution. Made-fromscratch barbecue and marinara sauces, and The Town Courier October 2, 2015 popular taco meat are among items prepared in the “Cook-Chill” room. In the “PrePlate” room, efficient food-packaging lines are reminiscent of the famous “I Love Lucy” assembly line episode. Students from households meeting the federal income guidelines may receive FARMs or Free and Reduced-Price Meals. Reduced-price meals are available to students in households that are 130 percent over the federal poverty level. Students in households 180 percent over are eligible to receive free meals. Michael J. Wilson, director of Maryland Hunger Solutions, said, “Our simple goal is to end hunger in the State of Maryland.” He noted, “The 130 percent are struggling as much as the 180 percent, but because they make a little bit more, they don’t get a free meal. It’s like the poor and the near poor.” Photo | Sharon Allen Gilder State Delegate Charles Barkley observes food-packaging lines in the “Pre-Plate” room of MCPS’ new Central Production Facility on Turkey Thicket Drive, Gaithersburg. He added that the MCPS facility is the only central kitchen in Maryland and is the largest on the East Coast. Tam Lynne Kelley, MSW and Anti-Hunger Program associate with Maryland Hunger Solutions, referenced the Maryland Meals for Achievement program that has been adopted by Baltimore City and Somerset County in which no one pays to eat, regardless of family income. “The best practice is to offer the food free to everyone … that levels the playing field.” Kelley said the program makes it easier for teachers and “with more quantity, you get better quality and more variety. Attendance and behavior is better.” Approximately 156,000 students attend MCPS. Of those numbers, 55,000 are eligible for FARMs. This year, 35.1 percent are receiving FARMs, which is equivalent to 45,000 students, nearly one-third of the student population and up 1,000 from 2014. Patricia O’Neill, president of the Montgomery County Board of Education, said, “The obstacles to learning have to be removed.” She added, “Seventy-eight schools are receiving universal free breakfast thanks to support from the state.” She shared 2014 statistics that MCPS Food & Nutrition Services served 6 million breakfasts; 11 million lunches; 300,000 dinners; and 200,000 after-school snacks.. She said the new facility has provided “the ability to cook more meals from scratch.” MCPS’ menus meet and exceed the USDA guidelines. Calorie, nutrition, and allergen information is available on the MCPS website in several languages. Alternate menu items are available daily to meet special dietary needs such as vegan or gluten-free. Caplon said, “Twenty-five schools have salad bars. They are a collaborative decision that has to be made with the school administration … and a logistic decision if space accommodates.” MCPS’ healthy eating focus comes down to low sodium, low fat, and every cookie, chip, bread, and dough that must be whole grain. Since 2006, all food in the schools was required to pass MCPS’ Wellness & Nutrition Initiative’s policy and guidelines. In 2014, the USDA proposed new regulations that Caplon said, “were very much the same as ours. … We were already there.” A daily variety of fruits and vegetables add to the abundant healthy choices to meet the nutritional needs of students. “All produce whenever available is locally grown,” said Caplon, who noted that a 7,200-square-foot “seeds of learning” garden space has been allocated on the property and will be included on student tours to teach the “full circle of the food.” State Delegate Charles Barkley asked Caplon, “If the State gave you a $200,000 grant, what would you do with it?” She responded, “Use it to off-set the cost of meals.” Wilson asked, “What would happen if we omitted reduced and made it free? What would the cost impact be?” Caplon said, “It might cost $500,000.” She added, “We take advantage of any grant opportunity we can. If it’s going to benefit our children, we’re all over it.” The week of Sept. 28, Maryland Hunger Solutions published its 2014-2015 Maryland Report Card on reducing childhood hunger with the school breakfast program. There are three parts to the evaluation: MCPS received a B plus for participation with 67.1 percent of students getting breakfast; an A minus with 88 percent of schools using the state-funded Maryland Meals for Achievement program; and the grade of “Time to Act” for not enrolling any of the eight eligible schools in the Community Eligibility Provision that allows schools with high percentages of low-income children to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students and essentially becoming Hunger-Free Schools. Kelley explained, “The main thing we look at is what percentage of low-income kids who participate in lunch, also participate in breakfast. The statewide goal is to have 70 percent of low-income children who have lunch, also have breakfast. So, how well the school system is meeting that goal is the main grade.” She added that the school systems should be aware of new programs and taking advantage of them. MCPS Board member Christopher Barclay said, “If you’re hungry, you can’t be focused.” Wilson, an advocate for free food for every child added, “Whole grains, fruits, more nutritious meals to more kids is going to serve dividends in the future. It’s a great way to leverage federal funds, it’s an investment in community, and a way to make sure every kid gets fed.” For more information visit, www. montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/ foodserv/menus/cafemenus.aspx. The Town Courier October 2, 2015 ■ new playground from page 6 The playscape was dedicated on Aug. 28, and a local musician adapted a song to dedicate the program. “It was about how this was a holy space because what the children do, it’s a holy thing and it’s a special thing,” said Sharon Wolfson, director of early childhood education. “It’s very important work that they’re doing, the children, learning to play together, building a sense of community …” “Learning how to live in the world,” added Connie Liss, congregation president. Compared with the old, more traditional brightly colored play equipment, teacher Barbara Winderlich said that she has noticed a difference in how children interact in this natural play space. “They definitely are playing more cooperatively with this new playscape,” she said. “It gives them more space to run around and to use their imaginations, which is really nice. The natural aspects of it are really tempting for them to come up with things on their own.” “It’s really an outside classroom in almost every way,” explained Liss, “and the philosophy of the school is for children to learn through play, to experience things where they’re at—not to say, ‘Today is reading day … today is spelling day’ … that’s not what we believe in here as a school.” Wolfson echoed her thoughts: “If you look around even in our hallways, it’s a very natural environment rather than boards with brightly colored paper and teacher store printout things. We want the children to do their work for the process, to have that experience of touching and feeling things versus the product.” Wolfson came to Shaare Torah last year as an interim director. When Liss and the education vice president asked her what she would do with the school if she could do anything, Wolfson recalled saying, “Oh, I would love to have an outdoor play space, which also would be an outdoor classroom where children would be able to run around and climb but in a different way, a natural environment and also where they would have to think, and it wouldn’t be teacher-driven—it would be more driven by individual children and groups of their peers, creative and interactive and a place where they can explore.” Shaare Torah had a donor, congregation members Bruce and Ann Goodman who wanted to do something special in memory of their late daughter, Jodi, whose nickname was “Bumblebee.” “They live in the neighborhood, so they walk by it (the play space) all the time,” explained Liss, “and with them and their extended family, they funded this new vision.” Wolfson worked with local landscape architect Jodie Hinman to design the space. “I told her what my vision was, and she had never done this, this was her maiden adventure,” said Wolfson. “She came back to us with a vision, and we tweaked a little bit here and there, and we partnered together very well and this was like our dream come true.” arts& entertainment from page 8 ception Oct. 13, 7-8:30 p.m., Arts Barn This group exhibit presents the work of Shelley Sims, Lauren Kingsland and Fran Abrams, along with that of the artists of Vertical Glass—Steve Mockrin, Jane Charters, Karen Henderson, Hilde Leone and Tony Glander. Free. www.gaithersburgmd.gov Beau Soleil avec Michael Doucet Oktoberfest at the Kentlands Oct. 11, noon to 5 p.m., Kentlands Village Green, Kentlands Mansion, Main Street and Market Square Get your oompah on as you listen to the music of the Alte Kameraden German Band and watch the Alt-Washingtonia Bavarian Dancers. You can also enjoy a wine tasting and traditional Beer Garden, six stages of entertainment, a business expo, strolling entertainers and more. Free, but some activities have a nominal fee. www.gaithersburgmd.gov Oct. 10, 8 p.m., BlackRock Center for the Arts Since forming in 1975, Grammy winners BeauSoleil have claimed their undisputed role as the most esteemed Cajun group in music. BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet takes the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blend elements of zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, blues and more into a satisfying musical recipe. Tickets are $22-$36. www.blackrockcenter.org ‘How to Brew Beer at Home’ ‘Disney’s Aladdin Jr.’ Oct. 17, 2-4 p.m., Quince Orchard Library, 15831 Quince Orchard Road Oct. 16-25, 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Saturdays & Sundays, Arts Barn In partnership with Kensington Arts Theatre-2nd Stage, Arts on the Green presents “Disney’s Aladdin Jr.” A resourceful young hero and a wise-cracking genie come to life in this special one-hour adaptation of one of the most popular animated movies of all time. KAT-2nd Stage features youth and adult performers. Recommended for ages 7 & up. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $12 for children 14 and under. www.gaithersburgmd.gov Brewing beer is easy and fun! This program will show you what equipment and ingredients are needed and review the process for brewing your own delicious beer at home. Please register online at www. montgomerycountymd.gov/library. Click “Branches” and select “Quince Orchard Library.” Call 240.777.0200 for more information. Registration is limited to ages 21 and up. No samples will be provided, but light refreshments will be available. This free program is sponsored by Friends of the Library, Quince Orchard Chapter. Page 19 Hinman worked with the existing space, which Wolfson said the architect likened to a bowl. One element of the new space that has special meaning for Wolfson is the snake path leading down one side of the bowl. “One of the things I remembered when I went to Israel with other Jewish early childhood educators in the area was the snake path coming down from Masada, which is a place on the Dead Sea, and it was amazing to see people actually walking down it,” she recalled. “We have the perfect hill, and to us this was like bringing a bit of Israel back here when it (the playground) was designed.” Allentuck Landscaping made their dream into a reality. Most of the construction was done in one month, and costs were kept so low that there was money left over for a pergola. “One of our final big, big things is being completed outside,” said Wolfson, “a pergola, which will be like a little shelter for reading books, quiet book space and meeting space. Ann Goodman is a retired schoolteacher and her passion is reading. She wanted a special place where the children could hang out and read books.” Another member of the congregation is building an outdoor play kitchen, Wolfson said. This will join the outdoor art space and exploration station. The new playscape couldn’t have come at a better time. Shaare Torah Nursery School expects to be licensed for full day very soon. ■ adoption from page 7 Since Trinity’s adoption in 2012, she senses when Kristopher is anxious. Rhonda said, “She seems to know when he’s anxious and curls up around him or just sits and you see him relax.” With Trinity’s documentation as an emotional support animal (ESA) she is a frequent flyer on airplane trips where she sits on Kristopher’s lap to defray anxiety. Rhonda said that even though her son is highly verbal, he was not highly social until Trinity entered their lives. “She’s really expanded his ability to be social because when we’re in airports or when people come to the house, he wants to tell then about Trinity and answer questions.” Rhonda said her biggest fear was that going to a shelter meant you are getting an abandoned or neglected animal. “That’s the stereotype that I had in my head, but when I went in there and I heard the stories of these cats, I realized that’s not it at all. … These are cats that their families are military and they have to move or elderly and they passed away. These are not neglected and abandoned animals. ... These were under sad circumstances and have lost their homes. … These are loved animals that have been well cared for and for me that was very important. I didn’t want to take on another emotionally distressed creature and Trinity is just, I wish you could meet her … she’s the friendliest, sweetest … she loves to be held … you can tell that this is a cat that’s loved. I had no idea the impact Trinity would have on both of our lives. … She’s just made a tremendous difference,” said Rhonda. Persiano Gallery 20% OFF ALL SERVICES ORIENTAL RUGS FURNITURE REPAIRS To bring back to life your quality Antique furnishings Cleaning, Repairs and Appraisals REUPHOLSTERING CHANDELIERS Chandelier Cleaning Shade and Lamp Repair Chairs and Sofas take on a fresh new look and feel. Large Variety of Fabric Selections Available 188 Market Street • Gaithersburg, MD 20878 240.683.1022 www.persianogallery.com Since 2000 Page 20 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 KAUFMAN’sKITCHEN Fare for Fall I t’s officially fall, and time to think about alternate dishes for holiday feasts and family meals. Of course for me, it’s great chicken dishes. Here are two favorites. Famous American Cafe Chicken Salad By Sheilah Kaufman Judy was a chef at the famous American Café in Georgetown, a restaurant featured in Gourmet Magazine. Before California Chicken Salad with White Noodles was the fashion, and everyone flocked to White Flint’s eatery to have it for lunch, there was the fabulous American Cafe in Washington, D.C., that served a marvelous Chicken Salad with Tarragon. Loving chicken, I took a class called “Chicken Tout de Suite” at the Judy Harris Cooking School (www.judyharris.com) to learn to make that salad and other great chicken recipes. Her wonderful cooking school, to my delight, is still going strong. The most fabulous chicken recipes that I learned at the Judy Harris Cooking School SUPER SPECIAL 10% OFF Mid-Day Dog Walks for 3 Months A $100 value! New Clients Only. Refer a Friend and get one visit FREE! Book 6 Visits and get 1 Visit FREE! are the ones that I still use for special occasions and company dinners. This is Judy Harris’s version of that chicken salad. Chicken: 2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, halved, skin on 1 1/2 teaspoons salt freshly ground pepper Salad: 1 cup good quality mayonnaise (Hellman’s Low Fat) 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt, coarse and kosher 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons chopped (1/4-inch long) fresh tarragon leaves 1/2 cup blanched, sliced almonds (toasting is optional) Rinse chicken quickly under cold water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Preheat oven 375°F. Lightly oil a baking pan and place chicken skin side up. Place pan on the middle rack and bake until cooked, for 10 to 15 minutes to 160 degrees F. Do not overcook, as this will result in tough, dry meat. Remove the skin when cool enough to handle, and refrigerate until chilled. Dice chicken into 1/2-inch pieces. In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Add the diced chicken, and gently toss until coated with the tarragon and almonds. It is best if salad is covered and refrigerated overnight. This was always served on a split, buttery croissant. Serves 6 to 8. Supremes of Chicken in Raspberry Sauce (Filet de Poulet au Vinaigre de Framboise) For the Sauté 4 chicken breast halves, boneless, with skin on, trimmed of fat and patted dry with paper towels 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon vegetable oil salt, coarse and kosher freshly ground black pepper For the sauce: 1/3 cup raspberry vinegar 2-3 tablespoons sugar green tops of 1 leek or 2-3 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise 1 1/2 cups (preferably homemade) chicken stock 4 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces fresh raspberries, if available 1 lb. snow peas strings removed, cook at the last minute in boiling salted water for 20 seconds Heat a heavy, 10-inch sauté pan with butter and oil. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Sauté the chicken skin side first, on a medin kaufman’s kitchen Continued on page 22 reader’schoice ‘Everything I Never Told You’ Written by Celeste Ng R arely does a book leave me breathless, but “Everything I Never Told You” (2014) did so throughout. Celeste Ng (pronounced –ING) didn’t wow me with fastpaced drama or snappy By Betty writing, but rather with Hafner a gentle narration of the story of a family suffering the loss of their teenage daughter and sister. Ng doesn’t want to weigh readers down with the grief. Instead she subtly but brilliantly allows us to discover the points in the complicated familial web that caught the sensitive 16-year-old Lydia. She also gives us a series of small mysteries to follow within the greater puzzle of Lydia’s death. I was hooked in with Ng’s opening words: “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” “They” are Lydia’s family: Marilyn, the mother who is preparing breakfast; James, her husband who is driving to the college where he teaches; Nath, their son whose mind is only on starting Harvard in fall; and Hannah, the youngest, who is the only one to mention that Lydia is late coming to breakfast. From there on the story pulses with emotional energy—unfulfilled dreams, yearnings, shame. James is a Chinese-American who un- relentingly seeks acceptance for himself and his children. Marilyn is a blue-eyed blonde who hoped to be a doctor but resentfully settled for homemaking and forced her plans onto her daughter. Nath, the only son, readies himself for a final escape from his parents. Hannah accepts her place in the home as the overlooked extra. And Lydia, who “absorbed her parents’ dreams” and was the center of their universe, is gone. Ng wants to paint a larger picture for us, beyond the northwestern Ohio town in the late ‘70s, where this mixed-race family lives. We learn that Marilyn and James married just days before the black and white Virginia couple—with the appropriate name, Loving— married and were shortly arrested for that sin. James’ father was a “paper son,” emigrating to San Francisco from China by pretending to be the son of a neighbor as did so many new citizens. When Lydia is first declared missing, Marilyn thinks quickly that luckily they don’t live in New York where the terrifying “Son of Sam” is murdering young women. “Everything I Never Told You” is a book that demands a discussion, so it’s a perfect book club choice. Connecting all the dots within the story of the Lee family that led to Lydia’s death could fill an evening. It’s no wonder that Amazon named it #1 Book of 2014. The Town Courier October 2, 2015 Page 21 MIKEAT THE MOVIES The Intern (PG-13) ***** Everest (PG-13) **** The magic of star power is felt full force in this delightful modern comedy starring Anne Hathaway as web exec Jules and Robert De Niro as Ben, a 70-yearold widower with time on his hands. He applies for a By Mike new senior intern program Cuthbert with Hathaway’s company and is assigned to her. The clash of generations is always congenial, played gently and effectively by young and old cast members alike. Ben, after 40 years in the workforce in the very building that Hathaway has adapted for her online clothing outlet, knows a lot about business. He doles out his pearls slowly and effectively to his younger colleagues. Adam Devine is perfect as Jules’ chief operating officer and advisor, and Zack Pearlman shines as the hapless Davis. Along with Ben, the young interns have a classic scene as misbegotten burglars, trying to steal a computer. The ever-youthful Rene Russo has a star turn as a massage therapist destined to massage a lot of Ben and look great doing it. But this film is all Hathaway and De Niro, and they make the most of it. Hathaway remains one of film’s most striking beauties and De Niro is so under control that it almost makes you cry. The pacing of the film seems slow at first, but there is so much character development that rushing the pace would have destroyed the movie. Classic, sensitive, smart comedy with two top stars in full flight—not to be missed. This is a gut-stirring version of a trip up and down Everest in 1996 that ended up leaving eight members of the teams on the mountain. With very little preparation for what is to come, the story starts at base camp, run by Helen (Emily Watson) and her medical associate Caroline (Elizabeth Debicki). Two teams of climbers are combined to make the climb: One, the more adventurous, is led by Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal). One of the contentious aspects of climbing Everest is the increasing commercialization of the climb and people who are not in shape for it buying their way into expeditions. That certainly happens here as several climbers turn back early and several others clearly have their survival chances negatively affected by a lack of knowledge and physical conditioning. One of the most remarkable stories to come off the mountain is the story of Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin). A practicing pathologist, Weathers lost his right arm, nose and fingers on his left hand on the trip. Brolin’s performance is remarkable, as are all the performances in this trial by ice. The only drawbacks to the film are necessary technical ones: The high winds and bulky gear and masks they wore to survive muddle dialogue throughout. You can usually figure out what is happening, but following specific characters is not easy. Brilliance in the female supporting roles by Watson, Keira Knightley and Robin Wright is the rule. Altogether a frightening, chilling experience in film. ■ manhattan short time for anyone, not even his own family, and how that changes when his car runs out of gas on a desert highway in the middle of nowhere. “Bis Gleich” (Germany) features Albert and Marta, both in their late 70s, who live across the street from one another in a bustling section of Berlin’s Mitte and meet each day at 9 a.m.—in their respective windows—to watch the world unfold. The Manhattan Short Film Festival unwinds in such cities as Sydney, Mumbai, Moscow, Kathmandu, Vienna, Cape Town and cinemas in all 50 states of the United States, but Paragon in Kentlands is the sole Maryland theatre to host the festival. Tickets are on sale at the Paragon Theater box office, 629 Centre Point Way in Kentlands. from page 9 other’s dearest desires, no matter what that is. “Shok” (Kosovo) shows how the friendship of two boys is tested to its limits as they battle for survival during the Kosovo War. “Grounded” (France) is about one astronaut’s journey through space and life that ends on a hostile extrasolar planet. “Patch” (Switzerland) is an experimental, animated short film that uses abstract painting to explore the tension field between abstraction and recognizability. “Sundown” (Turkey) is about a woman on a beach who confronts a sudden, new reality about her mother. “El Camino Solo” (U.S.) is the story of a businessman who doesn’t have Black Mass (R) **** Johnny Depp is a great actor. In this film he portrays Boston mobster Whitey Bulger to a fare-thee-well with all the chills and inhumanity the character deserves. Nobody, including Bulger, knows how many people he killed. He was eventually convicted of killing 11, but Bulger was a man of the shadows and it is suspected the count is far too low. We see Bulger from 1975 and his emergence as a hoodlum in South Boston to his eventual arrest in 2011. Depp portrays Bulger as the sociopath he was, but the rest of the film indicates how depraved his associates were as well. The film stresses the same apparent theme that Bulger used throughout his criminal career: loyalty and honor, of which he had neither. The film almost becomes an ironic paean to FBI agent John Connolly, who was Bulger’s partner in both crime and punishment. Connolly started Bulger on his second career as an informant but, as Bulger explains, “I do not see this as ratting.” Ratting it was, the most serious charge that could be brought against a fellow mobster. Depp is forever threatening, forever evil and forever slippery in his role as Bulger even with his mistress, Lindsey Cyr (Dakota Johnson). She bore a son with Bulger; the son died at a young age and, some say, this sent Bulger off the rails. Something certainly did. The film offers a chilling portrayal of the results. Leave the young kids at home. They can learn this history later, when it may make more sense to them. Enjoy more of Mike’s reviews at www. towncourier.com Page 22 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 kaufman’skitchen from page 20 um heat for about 10 minutes. Turn and sauté about 3 minutes more. When the chicken is medium rare, remove it and place it between two plates to keep warm. Place in a warm (150°F) oven, if necessary. The chicken will continue to cook. ■ recipe from page 13 ed ingredients; cover, and reduce heat after it hits a boil, turning heat to absolute minimum. Cook 15 minutes, then take off heat, wait 5 minutes, then open and fluff. Adjust for flavor. Chile para Relleno: cook time 6 min poblano, 6 ea Submerge in fry oil 3 minutes, then drop in ice water 5 minutes. Slit, deseed, and skin. Cool. Tinga de Pollo: cook time 20 min chicken thighs boneless, skinless, 6 ea white onion, julienne, 12 oz w peeled plum tomatoes, canned, 16 oz v tomato juice, 16 oz v chipotles en adobo, 14 oz v peeled roasted poblano, sliced, 1 ea red fresnos, sliced, 6 ea avocado leaves, 4 ea Braise chicken thighs, then shred finely. Separately, saute onion julienne and add pureed chipotles, tomato juice, julienned canned Remove any fat from the sauté pan and deglaze (using a whisk) with the vinegar. Reduce vinegar by half. Remove the reduced vinegar and set aside. Wash the pan to reuse. In a second sauté pan, heat the sugar over medium-high heat until it caramelizes to a medium brown color. Immediately add the leeks and stir well to stop the cooking and tomatoes, fresnos, fried/skinned poblanos, and chicken stock if needed. Add shredded chicken thighs, adjust for taste. Use mixer to shred. Now fold in 6 of the reserved yolks into the mix. Adjust for flavor. Next, stuff the poblano, coat with flour, then dip into soufflé batter being sure to get some pepitas in there, and fry, turning for a consistent color, maybe 4 minutes. Allow to drain a few minutes and then pat dry with paper towels. Souffle batter: cook time 8 min egg whites, 14 ea egg yolks, 2 ea 00 flour, 3 oz v Pepitas, crushed, chopped, 1 Tbl Whisk 14 whites to good and frothy, then whisk in the flour, followed by the 2 yolks. Use immediately. Salsa Cocida Jitomate Roja: time 20 min. peeled plum tomatoes, canned 18 oz v tomato juice, 6 oz v onions, white, 4 oz w garlic, 2 oz w avocado leaves, 4 ea. chile de arbol, 4 ea prevent the caramel from burning. Add the stock and the reserved vinegar; reduce by half (you are reducing it again). Strain and press down on the vegetables, through a fine strainer. Swirl in the cold butter, and correct the seasoning. Don’t allow the sauce to get too hot or the butter will break down, i.e., separate. chicken stock s/p lard, 1 oz v Sweat onions, the tomatoes, garlic, chiles de arbol, avocado leaves and fresno chiles. Add the tomato juice, cover and simmer 10 min, then puree and refry. Adding tomato juice, chicken stock, salt and pepper to adjust flavors. Salad: cook time 5 min young greens blend, 12 oz w red & yellow grape tomatoes, 6 ea red onion, slivers, 1/4 ea cucumber, diced, ¼ ea avocado, Mexican/Hass, diced, 1 ea red fresnos, sliced, 3 ea Pepitas, 2 Tbl queso fresco, 2 oz w mango, ripe, diced, 1/2 ea Toss lettuces and half the toppings with a bit of dressing. Top with remaining ingredients. Lime - olive oil vinaigrette: cook time 5 min. limes, zested + juiced, 1 ea Serve the chicken sliced thin and fanned out with the sauce drizzled over it, and garnish with a few fresh raspberries. Serve with the snow peas. Serves 4. Editor’s note: For more edible delights by Sheilah Kaufman, go to www.cookingwithsheilah.com. virgin olive oil, 2 oz v shallot, 1 Tbl cilantro, chopped, 2 Tbl honey, 1 Tbl. s/p. Procedure: Crush garlic, shallot with salt and lime juice, then blend in cilantro, honey, and add cider vinegar, then blended olive oil. s/p. Crema Mexicana: cook time 20 min buttermilk, 8 oz v sour cream, 2 oz v cider vinegar .5 oz lime zest, a bit Salt, kosher, pinch Combine listed ingredients and whisk, then set aside in warm area. Plating Using a coupe, spoon a ribbon of sauce across. Next, place rice center, with salad just off center back. Chile relleno is placed atop/ just off right center. Now add strikes of crema, plus queso fresca, a few leaves of mint, cilantro and a sprinkle of pepitas. Schaeffer’s Piano Co., Inc. Fee-Only | Investments | Financial Planning | Integrity • • • Fee-Only Financial Planning Investment Management Income Tax Planning & Preparation Please contact us for your no-cost consultation Wayne B. Zussman, MBA, CFP® 301-330-7500 | wayne@TritonWM.com 60 Market St. Ste 207 | Gaithersburg,MD www.TritonWM.com Est 1901 NEW • USED RENTALS TOO! Tuning • Repair Refinishing We’ve Moved! Visit us at our new location! 105 N Stone Street Ave. Rockville, Md 20850 301.424.1144 www.schaefferspiano.com A Finished Touch, LLC All Handyman Services Custom Painting/ Interior and Exterior Carpentry • Drywall and Repair • Tile Power Washing (Decks, Fences, Houses, Etc.) Michael Blanken 301-674-7336 Licensed and Insured 10% OFF with this ad Yanni’s Piano Studio • Master degree in piano & music education • Make music learning a positive experience Yanni Yee (240) 899-8892 Yannipiano@yahoo.com FREE BOOK SElling gOOdS at dOwnSizing & EStatE SalES Contact MaxSold Downsizing/Estate Services: Only 80 availaBlE! Call 202-350-9388, email easy@maxsold.com or go to MaxSold.com/book by Nov.15 October 2, 2015 The Town Courier Page 23 Sports QO Runs Away From Clarksburg, 55-14 tle adversity for us and we responded to that well. No one panicked. No one freaked out. Everybody just stayed the course.” So pleased was Kelley that he cancelled practice on Saturday, much to the delight of his players. The victory raised QO’s record to 3-1, following their 41-0 shutout the previous week at Wootton. QO showed balance that game, as Bonner threw for two touchdowns and 187 yards to complement the team’s 212 yards rushing. The Cougars face Gaithersburg (2-2) this Friday night at the Cougardome. Gaithersburg is a big, physical team, and not to be taken lightly. The Cougars can’t afford to look past them toward their showdown with arch-rival Northwest the following week at QO. By Syl Sobel Q uince Orchard broke open a close contest at the Cougardome last Friday night with four touchdowns over five minutes in the third and fourth quarters and blew out a good Clarksburg squad, 55-14. QO gained over 350 yards rushing as running backs Marvin Beander, Shawn Barlow, and Eisley Kim each had over 100. Beander ran for five touchdowns while Barlow had three, two on the ground. All three gave credit to their offensive line, which carved holes in the Coyote defense all night. “I have to thank the O-linemen,” said Kim, primarily a blocking back but who on this night carried seven times for 111 yards. “They opened up the holes.” Added Beander: “I was just running.” Fans who witnessed the tight first half would not have expected the game to end with a running clock. Clarksburg picked apart the Cougars’ porous pass coverage early, and QO hurt themselves with numerous penalties. Clarksburg took a 7-0 lead on a 21-yard pass play late in the first quarter. QO came back on Beander touchdown runs of five and 23 yards, but the Coyotes again found a hole in QO’s pass defense and tied the score at 14 on a 74-yard pass and run with five minutes left. QO took a 21-14 lead into halftime on a three-yard Barlow run set up by a long pass and run by Kim. But QO head coach John Kelley wasn’t worried. He sensed that his team was winning the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and that Clarksburg couldn’t stop the Cougar running game. “We made some mistakes defensively early on,” Kelley said. “I really put it on me. It’s my fault. There were some things they did that caught us a little off guard. We made some adjustments at halftime to shore up a few things.” “He was telling us to keep our foot on the gas pedal,” said defensive lineman Khalil Sewell-Fair of the coach. Added Barlow: “He just said, ‘Don’t let up.’” Photo | Mac Kennedy QO fullback Eisley Kim busts loose (with a block from the official) for some of his 111 yards rushing against Clarksburg. Thus, when QO faced fourth and one on their own 35-yard line on their first possession of the second half, Kelley did not hesitate to go for it. Barlow rewarded his gamble by taking a handoff, bouncing left, getting the edge, and breaking several tackles en route to a 49-yard run. Two plays later, Beander scored from the 13 to make it 28-14. “Everyone got mad at me when I went for it on fourth and one,” Kelley said. “But if we can’t get one yard in that situation …” Kelley’s confidence seemed to ignite his team, and they heeded his admonition not to let up. Over the next eight minutes QO’s offense, defense, and special teams contributed one big play after another, and the Cougars scored touchdowns almost too quickly to tabulate. QO stopped Clarksburg on the next possession, a fumbled snap led to a bad punt, and QO took over on the Coyote 30. Barlow took a bubble screen from QB Doc Bonner on the first play and scooted untouched to the end zone, and suddenly it was 34-14. QO’s defense held again—they had shored up the pass defense and the run defense was stout all night—and forced another Clarksburg punt. Nick Moon caught the kick on the fly and bolted down the right sideline to the two. Beander scored on the next play and it was 41-14. Clarksburg desperately turned to the air on their next possession, but Sewell-Fair’s first career interception—he literally picked the ball off the quarterback’s hand— gave the Cougars possession again in Coyote territory. “Once I realized (the quarterback) was about to throw it, I kind of stepped back, reached up, and the ball landed perfectly in my hands,” said the still smiling defensive lineman. “It was so surreal. I couldn’t believe I even caught it.” Barlow scored on a five-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 48-14. Beander scored on another short run three minutes later for the final tally. “I’m proud of how hard our guys played,” said Kelley. “Our kids were really, really focused going into the game. When Clarksburg went up on us at first, I think it showed a lit- QO Basketball Players Ranked Among Region’s Best By Syl Sobel T wo juniors on the Quince Orchard basketball team have been named among the best players in their class according to a local high school basketball website. Capitol Hoops has ranked forward Johnny Fierstein and guard Matthew Kelly in their Top 80 in the class of 2017 in the DC/MD/VA area. Fierstein was ranked number 50, making him the top-ranked Montgomery County Public School junior according to Capitol Hoops. Kelly was 79. “Nice recognition,” said QO head coach Paul Foringer. “Hardest part now is living up to it night in and night out.” Capitol Hoops bases its rankings on information it receives from about a dozen local high school coaches, AAU coaches, and various people in the media. Northwest’s Young Players Find Consistency, Offense Gelling By Jennifer Beekman N orthwest High School sophomore Juwon Farri received a rather unlikely assignment from his principal, Lance Dempsey, last week: Carry a football with him to every class. After two fumbles in the Jaguar football team’s 58-23, Week 3 win over Blair on Sept. 18, Dempsey decided—in good fun— that the second-year varsity player needed to spend a little more time holding on to the ball. So, she sent Farri’s teachers an email to inform them he would indeed be carrying a football to class, at her request. “Our principal, Ms. Dempsey, is very supportive,” Northwest coach Mike Neu- beiser said. “He had two fumbles (against Blair) so our principal gave him a hard time and had him carry a football to every class. She emailed all of his teachers and told them he would give it to them when he got to class so it wasn’t a distraction. And she told him, ‘You will not fumble it the entire day.’ Sometimes she sneaks up on him and tries to knock it out, so he has to be careful even when he’s walking to class.” The extra practice worked. Farri had no fumbles in a breakout performance during Friday’s 42-7 win over Whitman in Germantown. Naturally, the assignment was extended to this week, leading in to Friday’s blockbuster of a game against undefeated Sherwood. “I would be talking to some friends in the hallway and someone would come try and bop the ball out (of my hands),” Farri said. “So I have to pay attention at all times.” Farri made the most of his opportunities against Whitman, racking up 192 yards of offense and two touchdowns on four plays. He went 2 for 109 on the ground and also caught two receptions for 83 yards. Northwest’s overall offensive performance was symptomatic of the improved consistency among its young players, in general, Neubeiser said. The Jaguars (3-1) have put a disappointing loss to historical rival Seneca Valley on Sept. 11 in the past with two consecutive wins and have outscored their last two opponents by a combined score of 50-30. Senior quarterback Mark Pierce completed six of eight pass attempts Friday for 92 yards and a touchdown and also scored on a one-yard run before sophomore Chris Craddock came in to complete four of five pass attempts for 120 yards and a touchdown. He also was 2 for 2 on the ground with a touchdown. Junior running back Khalil Owens also scored on a 49-yard scamper. While his contributions might not have shown up in the box score, Neubeiser credited receiver Reggie Anderson with tremendous blocking on Farri’s runs. And all the little things, Farri said, make a big difference. n NW football Continued on page 26 Page 24 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 Quince Orchard Senior Is ‘Unsung Hero’ By Jennifer Beekman Q uince Orchard High School midfielder Noorvir Kaur’s senior field hockey season was almost over before it started. Though the third-year varsity player said she felt fine heading into the physical examination required by Montgomery County before the start of tryouts in August, her doctor discovered an irregular heartbeat. So, instead of participating in preseason with her Cougar teammates, Kaur spent weeks undergoing a series of diagnostic tests to determine whether or not she was healthy enough to compete. Fortunately for Kaur and Quince Orchard, her condition is manageable and she rejoined the team prior to the Cougars’ second game of the season. “I was a little bit worried because they restricted me from playing and it was kind of hard to adjust to that,” Kaur said. “I really wanted to play. I don’t know if that helped, but when I was exercising for the stress test and going through all these tests I just kept thinking about how I wanted to play. I wanted to play my last year of field hockey and really wanted to do that for my team and my coach and for myself. I just wanted to get back on the field and go as far as possible.” Kaur brings an invaluable level of experience and skill to the midfield as the defending Class 4A West Region champion Cougars search for their identity early this fall, thirdyear Quince Orchard coach Alicia Vincenty said. Though only four players graduated from last year’s state semifinal squad, one of them— current Ithaca College freshman Brenna Lof- Photo | Mac Kennedy Most scoring plays start with senior Noorvir Kaur, whose position in midfield is designed to link Quince Orchard’s defense to its attack. gren—led the entire Washington Metropolitan area in scoring with a Quince Orchard single season record 34 goals. “We only lost four players, but they were four really good players,” Vincenty said. “Right now, we’re working out the kinks and trying to fill in those spots. Figure out who is going to be our goal scorer.” While Quince Orchard might not have one particular high scoring entity to rely on this fall—though junior Skylar Saffer has surfaced as a reliable finisher—Vincenty said there are benefits to a more balanced effort. Everyone has more responsibilities, she said. And without one single superstar to shoulder most of the work, players seem to feel more willing to step into more prominent roles, Kaur said. “We use everyone’s strengths to make us better,” Vincenty said. “Everyone has a good day and everyone has a bad day. This team is good for making up for each other and compensating for what’s lacking. And really, that is what a team is, when you think about it.” Though Kaur’s contributions seem fairly subtle, they are undeniable. She might not pepper the statistics sheets with goals and assists but most scoring plays start with her. Her position in the midfield itself is designed to link Quince Orchard’s defense to its attack, but Kaur also has had more exposure to field hockey than the average high school player and this is evident in her ability to see the field and control the ball, keep it on her stick and away from opposing defenses and set her teammates up in scoring position with smart passing. Unlike most high school field hockey players in Montgomery County, Kaur’s introduction to the sport came long before her freshman year thanks to her father, who played competitively in India. “Most high school players do not start playing until their freshman year and a lot don’t play year-round like in soccer,” Vincenty said. “Their stick stills are not as skilled as Noorvir. She is amazing at dribbling and seeing the field. She might not score a lot of goals, but she’s going to make amazing plays. The little things (that she does) are so important. She’s kind of the unsung hero of our team.” And Kaur said numbers don’t matter to her as long as the team is doing well. While Quince Orchard field hockey has a rich history—nine state tournament appearances since 2000—last year’s region title was its first since 2010. The Cougars defeated a lot of teams for the first time in recent history last fall, Vincenty said, and they are likely out for revenge this fall. After opening the season with a win over Paint Branch, the Cougars (2-1) did fall, 2-1, to Springbrook, their opponent in last year’s region final. The loss, Kaur said, was a learning experience. And Quince Orchard bounced back with a 2-0 win over perennial postseason contender Sherwood on Sept. 24. The Cougars won the last of their two state titles in 2006—Vincenty was on that team. But Kaur said this year’s squad has the potential to change that. “I feel like her passion becomes our passion,” Kaur said. “We haven’t won states since then and that’s always been a driving force for us. We have states anklets that remind us that we want to go to states. And our goal this year is to go beyond what we did last year. … I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to play this year. But this being my last year, that was even more of a driving force.” October 2, 2015 The Town Courier Page 25 Quince Orchard Boys’ Soccer Making a Statement By Jennifer Beekman T wo years ago, the Quince Orchard High School boys’ soccer team struggled to win three games. Last year’s 104-2, Class 4A West Region Section II final run, therefore, came as quite a surprise and seemed to be written off by many as a fluke, senior forward Peter Psallidas said. But with their 5-0 start to 2015, which includes wins over perennial powers Sherwood (3-2 in overtime) and defending state champion Whitman (2-1) as well as the Gaithersburg team that ended their 2014 campaign (7-0), the Cougars have made it very clear early this fall that they are capable of competing with— and beating—any team standing in their way. “I think we’ve definitely made a statement; we’ve sent a message to the county that we’re here to play,” Psallidas said. “Coming back (from 0-2 at halftime) against Sherwood gave us the confidence to take on Whitman. We are very confident at the moment.” One main reason for the recent turnaround, Psallidas said, was the arrival of current second-year coach Kevin Gnatiko last fall. He brought a new level of intensity to workouts and instilled a true sense of belief in a group of players that went well below .500 the previous season. “He’s changed this whole program in two years,” Psallidas said. “He changed this program from the first day I met him. It’s the seriousness he has in training but he also wants us to win. He pushes us and wants the best out of all of us. He pushes us to the maximum of our potential.” Though the Cougars graduated six play- ers who were important to last year’s success, Quince Orchard is propelled this year by a core of players who have been competing together for three or more years. Gnatiko said his charges’ familiarity with each other’s playing styles and tendencies has been vital to the strong start. The Cougars are an attack-minded, yet possession-oriented bunch, Gnatiko said. Junior forward Eli Holmstead (seven goals) and Psallidas (five), who complement each other well in the offensive third with a combination of speed and ball skills, lead the way in scoring but Quince Orchard benefits from a variety of potential scorers and playmakers all over the field. Aside from the main scoring tandem, five players have tallied at least one goal, including senior midfielder Barak Anige and junior Isaac Zuniga, who have also contributed three assists apiece. The team’s versatility, Gnatiko said, is a major strength. With no one particular player carrying the weight of the entire team, everyone can play under less pressure and more freely. “That’s one of the best things to have,” Psallidas said. “If the forwards are not doing our job and are getting shut down, we have someone else who can go score.” The Cougars are also able to move forward with confidence knowing they have St. Mary’s College of Maryland recruit Patrick Paolini backing them up in goal and organizing the defense, Gnatiko said. “In my opinion, he’s the best goalie in the state,” Quince Orchard’s coach said. “The stuff he does on the field, it’s unbelievable. Photo | Mac Kennedy Junior midfielder Isaac Zuniga, no. 11 shown here playing against Seneca Valley, has contributed three assists so far this season. Having him on the team is very important, he’s the keeper of the team.” Though the Cougars are playing like seasoned veterans this fall, Quince Orchard is actually a fairly young team with only five seniors. The rest are sophomores and juniors, which bodes well for the program’s future. But the Cougars are not looking too far ahead, just to the immediate tasks at hand. Quince Orchard is scheduled to face 2012 state champion Wootton on Thursday with upcoming games against postseason contenders Magruder and Richard Montgomery and crosstown rival Northwest looming. “Quince Orchard has had some fantastic players in the past (few years) but just weren’t able to click,” Psallidas said. “We’re proving a point in the county that we’re here to play. And it’s even changing and we’re getting more respect in our school.” Page 26 The Town Courier October 2, 2015 Photo | Arthur Cadeaux Sophomore Juwan Farri had a breakout performance during Friday’s 42-7 win over Whitman. Here he scores an 85-yard touchdown. ■ nw football from page 23 “With young players, they’re inconsistent,” Neubeiser said. “There’s a lot of potential there but sometimes they block the wrong guy or lineup in the wrong spot or go the wrong way. We’re still doing a lot of little things wrong but hopefully the young guys just continue to improve. We’re getting more consistent, it’s a work in progress.” Neubeiser and his staff also decided in recent weeks to switch to a more two-platoon approach, which has given Northwest’s young players more time to focus on doing one job well rather than having to worry about both offensive and defensive responsibilities. And that, he said, has helped in players’ development. The offensive line, led by Cole Cheripko, also has begun to gel well and provide better protection. While Farri has done a good job of making himself look like a seasoned receiver with his athletic receptions and production, catching a football is not something that came natural to the dual threat player just a year ago. “He’s a tough kid, explosive, and just also a really good kid,” Neubeiser said. “He’s an old school type kid, tough, hard-nosed and trustworthy. You know he always gives you his best effort. The biggest thing for him was just his hands. He did not have good hands initially, but he really worked on it.” Farri has likely only scratched the surface of his potential. But that is a running theme at Northwest this year. The young Jaguars are nowhere near where they were at this point last season but there is excitement in a tremendous upside. “Getting that win over Blair was big, that helped our confidence and we needed that boost in confidence,” Neubeiser said. “Turnovers for us have been big. We’ve gotten down in the redzone so often but we’re not capitalizing. This week (against Sherwood) is going to be huge for us.” October 2, 2015 The Town Courier Page 27 Page 28 The Town Courier October 2, 2015
Similar documents
Gaithersburg`s Hometown Newspaper
Around 40 MCPD officers including medics, special events response team members and supervisors helped provide support to local, state and national agencies from April 26 to May 3. Residents took to...
More informationThe Town Courier
Diane Dorney Publisher news@towncourier.com Matt Danielson President matt@eink.net Pam Schipper Managing Editor pam@towncourier.com Debi Rosen Advertising Manager
More information