March 18, 2016

Gaithersburg’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Kentlands, Lakelands, Quince Orchard Park and More
The
TOWN
Vol. 14, No. 6
Courier
www.towncourier.com
March 18, 2016
Sugar Plum Crazy: MBT’s New
Ballet Tells the Fairy’s Backstory
By Ellyn Wexler
E
very winter holiday season,
nearly all American ballet
companies stage a production of “The Nutcracker,” the
classic two-act ballet with a score
by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Most Americans have seen at least
one performance, yet rarely tire
of seeing professionals or young
family members take on the fa-
miliar roles.
Metropolitan Ballet Theatre (MBT) will offer something
completely different on March 18,
19 and 20 at the Robert E. Parilla
Performing Arts Center at Montgomery College, Rockville. The
Gaithersburg-based
company
will present the world premiere
of “Becoming Sugar Plum,” an
n SUGAR PLUM Continued on page 8
Photo | Mac Kennedy
QO alumnus and current Georgetown University student Tyrell Williams accepts a certificate of recognition from Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman at the
March 7 Mayor and City Council meeting.
City Rooting for Tyrell Williams
in His Inspiring Journey
By Syl Sobel
T
yrell Williams is used to hearing cheers from
large crowds. As a three-year Quince Orchard football standout, his dynamic running and pass-catching often brought roars of
appreciation from Cougar faithful, including in
back-to-back state championship games at M&T
Bank Stadium.
But the cheers that Williams received the past
few weeks may mean just a little more to him and
his family, because they signify the love, support
and encouragement that Williams says has kept
Photo | Mac Kennedy
Elizabeth Odell Catlett, co-author of “Becoming Sugar Plum,” and Metropolitan Ballet Theatre
dancers were at Tipo’s Toy Box Sunday, March 6 for a book signing and advance promotion of the
world premiere ballet.
him going in his long road back to walk again.
Williams, who suffered a broken neck while
playing football for Georgetown University last
fall, was welcomed home to Gaithersburg in a
recognition ceremony before a full chamber during last week’s Mayor and City Council meeting.
Two weeks earlier Georgetown welcomed Williams back to school during halftime of the Hoyas’
last home basketball game of the season. A crowd
of more than 10,000 fans at the Verizon Center
gave Williams a prolonged standing ovation as he
PRSRT-STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Gaithersburg MD
Permit #1722
Emergency Legislation
Introduced for Watkins
Mill Interchange Project
By Pam Schipper
T
Photo | Mac Kennedy
The Bikini Bottom Ballers finished off Dreamville to win the eighth grade championship at the
10th Annual Lakelands Park Middle School Basketball Night.
Students Take to the Court for
Middle School March Madness
The Town Courier
309 Main Street
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
n williams Continued on page 17
By Mac Kennedy
T
he 10th Annual Lakelands
Park Middle School (LPMS)
Basketball Night tipped off
March 11 in front of a completely filled gym. Parents and fans
of all ages packed the bleachers,
forcing the rest of the crowd to
stand along the walls and by the
doors. The kids showed up in
their homemade uniforms ready
to battle for not only trophies and
t-shirts but bragging rights the
n
Basketball night Continued on page 17
he Montgomery Delegation
recently introduced emergency legislation, House Bill
1562 and Senate Bill 1099, that if
passed would force funding for the
Watkins Mill/I-270 Interchange
Project. After nearly two decades
of planning, the project was placed
on hold indefinitely by the State
Highway Administration (SHA) in
November 2015.
The bill, if passed, would spur
the Administration to “promptly
undertake all steps necessary to
complete the planning, engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and
construction for the Watkins Mill
Road interchange project in accordance with the Consolidated
Transportation Program for fiscal years 2015 through 2020” and
mandate that Governor Larry
Hogan appropriate the necessary
funds. Construction would finish
on or before June 30, 2019.
The Gaithersburg mayor and city
councilmembers, the Montgomery
County Council, business interests
and private citizens have written to
the governor, expressing concern
about the SHA decision to delay
interchange construction. City
Councilmember Neil Harris highlighted Gaithersburg’s reputation
for fiscal responsibility and role as
a growing employment center for
the region in a recent letter to Governor Hogan. “Gaithersburg is a
healthy, growing, responsible city,”
he wrote, “and we hope you are
proud of us and can work with us
to continue the success. We need to
n legislation Continued on page 7
Page 2
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016
March 18, 2016 The Town Courier
Page 3
AROUNDTOWN
Photo | Mac Kennedy
Potomac Village Deli
Coming Soon
On Pi Day, March 14, almost 17 years to the day
it opened, Potomac Pizza
closed its doors. The restaurant owned by Adam
Greenberg will transform in
the next month to Potomac
Village Deli, a kosher-style
delicatessen co-owned by
Greenberg and Sam Lerner. A mid-April opening is
planned.
Gaithersburg City Council’s Marraffa
Battles Leukemia
By Sharon Allen Gilder
Register for the Spring Adult Pickleball League
Registration for the City of Gaithersburg’s Spring
Adult Pickleball League is now open. Games take
place on Thursdays, March 24 through May 12 from
5:45 to 7:45 p.m. at the Activity Center at Bohrer
Park, 506 South Frederick Ave. The cost per player is
$40, or $30 for city residents. Players must be 18 years
or older. The registration deadline is March 16.
Despite its funny name, pickleball is a serious sport
played with a paddle and whiffle ball that combines
elements of tennis, Ping-Pong and badminton. The
easy-to-learn game is played on a small court that is
one-third the size of a traditional tennis court and can
be played as singles or doubles.
For league registration forms and more information, visit www.gaithersburgmd.gov or call Pam
Truxal at 301.258.6350.
Drop-in pickleball takes place every Wednesday and
Friday from 10 a.m. to noon through June at the Activity Center. Cost is $4, or $3 for city residents. Sign
in and pay at the front desk. Paddles and balls are provided.
Stay Tuned for Kentlands Pickleball
Pickleball Ambassador Karen Palman said a pickleball open house is being planned for Kentlands residents and their guests this spring. No date has been
set yet. A weekly drop-in for Kentlands residents is
also in the works. Enthusiasts can look forward to a
newly lined Court 2 with permanent pickleball lines
and hash marks on Court 1 for overflow.
T
hese days, Gaithersburg City Councilmember Henry
Marraffa is donning a mask and a favorite baseball cap
from an Alaskan cruise to keep his head warm after
chemotherapy treatments for leukemia left him without his
usual pate of thick hair. “It’s the first time in my life I’ve
never had thick, black wavy hair, but it’s coming back and I
like my cap—it makes me look distinguished, like a captain,”
Marraffa said with a laugh.
In June 2014 Marraffa, who has served on the City Council since 1995, was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome
(MDS), a blood disorder that he said can be a forerunner for
leukemia or lymphoma. He said, “It’s treatable and I’ve been
treating it for a couple years and nobody really knew the difference.” On Jan. 25, 2016, he was diagnosed with leukemia.
He added, “I was pretty healthy and then it took a turn. So
at that point, my doctors who are very, very aggressive and
want to stay on top of this said, ‘We’re not messing around’
and immediately put me into the chemo treatment.”
On Jan. 28, Marraffa entered Suburban Hospital in
Bethesda for seven days of chemotherapy, 24 hours each day.
He shared, “That was sort of non-eventful other than I was
in the hospital being injected with these massive doses of
chemo and then the aftereffect is the worst part.” After being
discharged to return home, he was readmitted to the hospital
several days later with what he called “a setback.” He lost his
hair in clumps, contracted the flu virus, developed a Staph
infection, battled a high fever and pneumonia.
“These aftereffects were normal and predictable, but at the
same time you’ve got to go through them. When you get
chemo your immune system is zero and you can’t really fight.
So for those weeks, I really had some ups and downs. … You
know, you’ve got to fight them as they come. Now, I’ve been
in pretty good shape. My numbers are good. I got a (blood)
transfusion on Feb. 29 and I’ll probably have another transfusion in the next week or so.”
City of Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman said he has stayed
in touch with Marraffa to see how he is doing, to let him
know that everyone is thinking of him, and to keep him
posted about city matters to “make sure we get his input on
things.” Ashman added, “For example, in the days leading
up to our strategic planning session, I got Henry’s input on
strategic directions and on some of the charter amendments
we were considering. Henry also gave some good input on
our latest appointments to the Planning Commission.”
Marraffa said he has really missed the dialogue at the meetings. He has continued to participate in city-related business
via email and phone calls. He explained, “We have a lot of
work to do and the thing is, the businessmen and the developers depend on me. I have been their spokesman for years,
and they call me and they want to know what I think. I really
Compiled by Pam Schipper
Johns Hopkins and MedImmune Team Up to
Train Ph.D. Students
Photo | Sharon Allen Gilder
Gaithersburg City Councilman Henry Marraffa and his wife, Donna Jean, enjoyed
a night out on Friday, March 4 at Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape
miss that dialogue and trying to keep our city focused on the
things that are important. I hate this political correctness.
You know, I don’t want to become a Takoma Park where
we do all the politically correct things and we overlook the
obvious. Everybody has always looked to me to be what they
call ‘the realist,’ the guy who looks at the real problems and
really gets people to talking about it, and that’s the part that
I miss the most.”
Support and encouragement has been especially important. He shared, “I’ll tell you one thing that’s been refreshing, the number of good friends and family, the cards, the
letters, prayers, it has just been overwhelming and you can
actually feel the well-wishes from everyone and that is a really neat thing to go through.” He said several friends know
others who have been through the stem cell program and all
had happy endings. He added, “So, I’m hoping for the happy
ending. They evaluated me and said I was extremely healthy
for my age, a very good candidate, so they enrolled me in it.”
On March 10, Marraffa met with doctors at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore regarding the next steps in his treatment
that will include a stem cell transplant. “It’s just a phenomenal program,” said Marraffa’s wife, Donna Jean. She added,
“I absolutely love the doctor. He explained everything in
great detail. He was very upbeat. He said Henry is vibrant
enough for this to go smoothly.”
After the transplant that should occur in the next three to
four weeks, he will be in isolation in the hospital for 30 days
but can have visitors. Then he will rent an apartment near
Hopkins for two months for doctors to monitor his progress,
The Johns Hopkins University and MedImmune
announced this week a first-of-its-kind Ph.D. training
program between a major university and a biopharmaceutical company in the United States. Known as
the Johns Hopkins-MedImmune Scholars Program,
this new initiative will build on an ongoing collaboration between MedImmune and Johns Hopkins, and
reinforces both partners’ commitment to grow the
Maryland biotech region.
The program will prepare Johns Hopkins graduate students for careers in the biopharma industry
through rigorous training that focuses on the professional skills and knowledge required to be part of the
biomedical workforce. Beginning this year, students
from the Ph.D. programs in the school of medicine
and Whiting School of Engineering may apply to become Johns Hopkins-MedImmune Scholars in the
spring of 2017. As many as 15 students may participate
in the first three cohorts. The partners have the option
of expanding the program.
but said he plans on coming home a couple of nights “for
this or that.” He chuckled and said, “But it’s only as health
dictates and at that point and time I hope to do just what the
governor did, stand up with my baseball cap, wave to the
crowd, and go back to work.”
Ashman said, “We all love Henry and we’re rooting for
him. Even though he’s not present at the meetings, he’s still
very much involved and we appreciate it. But most of all, we
just want him to beat this thing and get back to life as it was
before.” Marraffa rallied and was present at the City Council
meeting on March 7.
He shared his philosophy: “I’m on target for my treatment
and the doctors are happy where I am medically. You know
you have good days and you have bad days. Keep a positive
attitude, and don’t give up. Keep fighting and you’ll be surprised … a good attitude, good friends, and family will get
you through almost anything.”
Page 4
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016
Erin Willett Inspires Others at Fleet Feet
309 Main Street
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
For Advertising: 301.279.2304
Also on the Web at www.towncourier.com.
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Maureen Stiles
Ellyn Wexler
Social Media
Consultant
Mac Kennedy
©2016 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
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to the Editor and Commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, management or advertisers
of The Town Courier.
By Mac Kennedy
G
aithersburg’s own Erin Willett entered NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”
seeking not only to lose excess
weight, but also to rediscover her inner
strength. On March 3 at Fleet Feet Sports
Gaithersburg, she shared that inner strength
to inspire others on their health and fitness
journeys.
Willett began on “The Biggest Loser” at
a weight of 238 pounds. At that time, she
knew she wanted her weight to change, the
negative perception of herself to change,
and her circumstances to change, yet she
wasn’t doing anything about it. So when
the opportunity came from NBC, she was
ready.
Willett described her time on the ranch
as “incredible, but also really tough. … I
learned a lot about myself on the ranch and
what I am capable of when I face my fear
and just do something.” She credited the
relationships she built there with getting her
through the tough times.
In addition to the other contestants on
the show, trainers Jen Widerstrom and Dolvett Quince were crucial to Willett’s success. They both taught her different ways to
cope and adopt the new lifestyle of controlling her decisions and being accountable for
those decisions.
Willett left the show at 151 pounds, losing 87 total. “The experience on the ranch
changed me,” she said, “I always thought
that everyone else had the answers. But
through my four months there, I realized
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Photo | Mac Kennedy
Erin Willett, contestant on season 17 of the “The Biggest Loser,” did a Meet and Greet at Fleet Feet Sports Gaithersburg
on March 3. The event featured a Q&A session, performance of Willett’s new single, “Out of the Darkness,” and a fun run
and walk. Willett is pictured here with Emily Kramer.
that I hold the answers, I just have to be
brave enough to seek them out.”
This new frame of mind was the inspiration behind Willett’s debut single, “Out
of the Darkness.” The message is simple.
“Everyone has to realize that they are the
keeper of their own destiny. Life is tough
and we all go through it, but if we work
every day to try to make the best choices,
one day we will come to a point where it all
makes sense and all the work is worth it,”
Willett explained.
Willett wants to use her platform as a re-
cording artist to help others seeking change. She hopes her journey and music can be the
inspiration for anybody who is working on
“becoming the best version of themselves.”
“The best advice I can give,” she said,
“is that you are the one that will have to
put in the work if you want to change. And
not just the physical work, the mental work
too. No diet or weight loss is going to fix
you. You are worth the work!” Her single
can be found on YouTube along with her
video that was shot in her current residence
of Brooklyn.
shoptalk
Free Spring Break Movies
Compiled by Pam Schipper
Diya Bistro, 917 Quince Orchard Road,
expects to have a liquor license soon. Diya
happy hours should start in April.
As part of the restructuring, the company has identified approximately 140 stores
and two distribution centers that it intends
to close or sell in the coming months. Recognizing that consumers are buying more
online, the company has decided that it
needs fewer stores as part of its long-term
business model. Sports Authority has filed
a motion with the court seeking approval
to proceed with store closing sales at the
identified stores, after which those stores
are expected to be closed or sold. The store
closing process is expected to take up to
three months. The Gaithersburg Sports
Authority at 110 Odenhal Ave. is on the
list of closing stores.
Gaithersburg
Sports Authority Closing
Wine Harvest Raises Funds
for Ride Allegheny
Sports Authority filed for Chapter 11
Wednesday, March 2 to implement financial and operational restructuring. “We are
taking this action so that we can continue
to adapt our business to meet the changing dynamics in the retail industry,” said
Michael E. Foss, chief executive officer
of Sports Authority. “We intend to use
the Chapter 11 process to streamline and
strengthen our business both operationally
and financially so that we have the financial flexibility to continue to make necessary investments in our operations.”
On Thursday, March 10, the Wine Harvest at 114 Market St. held its Second Annual National Ride Allegheny Day. For $10,
patrons enjoyed a three-beer tasting flight,
one pint of Flying Dog beer and a Flying
Dog glass to take home. Half of this fee, or
$5, was donated to Ride Allegheny. The
2016 bike ride from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Gaithersburg will be held Sept. 29 to
Oct. 2 this year. Ride Allegheny partners
with Operation Second Chance to provide
support for the needs of soldiers and their
families. rideallegheny.org
Paragon Kentlands 10, 629 Center Point
Way, offers free movies over Spring Break.
Families can enjoy movies at 11 a.m.
March 28 through April 1. Films screened
are “The Croods” on March 28, “Epic” on
March 29, “Mr. Peabody & Sherman” on
March 30, “Ice Age: Continental Drift” on
March 31, and “The Penquins of Madagascar” on April 1.
Diya Happy Hours Coming in April
March 18, 2016 The Town Courier
Page 5
Local Lawmakers Eye Metro Extension Study cityscene
By Gina Gallucci-White
I
nstead of driving a car or taking the bus
to the Shady Grove Metro station, how
about catching a train in Olde Towne?
You will one day if local lawmakers get their
wish.
Montgomery County Del. Andrew Platt
has sponsored a bill to establish a task force
to explore the possibility of extending Metro
north from Shady Grove to downtown Frederick. A hearing was held at the General Assembly in Annapolis on Thursday to discuss
the possibility.
Two days before the hearing, Platt said his
vision for economic development inspired
him to sponsor the bill. “I think there is huge
potential for an emerging growth corridor
between Gaithersburg and Frederick, and I
think we need to start thinking big in terms
of our infrastructure and this bill would do
that,” he said, adding that this bill is “a huge
opportunity to show that folks in the legislature and Governor (Larry) Hogan are serious
about economic development and economic
growth. If we want to actually create crossjurisdictional cooperation and economic
growth, we should pass this bill.”
Gaithersburg City Councilmember and
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Board member Neil
Harris testified in favor of the bill. “The time
has come to say we cannot live in this world
where we just surrender to traffic getting
worse and worse and worse over the next 25
years,” Harris said two days before the hearing. “We are in the region of the capital of
the free world, and we need to find the will
POLICEBeat
and the resources to make things better.”
As a part of MWCOG, Harris said he has
become frustrated that the organization’s
25-year transportation vision is that traffic
congestion only gets 72 percent worse during that time frame. “That doesn’t seem like
an optimal outcome,” he said. “That plan is
based on how much funding they believe will
be available for transportation projects during
that time period. My input to the organization was that what we need to do instead is
figure out what transportation projects will
actually make things better and then figure
out if there are funding mechanisms that can
make that work. The organization has created a task force to look at the unfunded projects that aren’t in the 25-year plan and try to
determine which ones to prioritize and then
figure out funding mechanisms.”
Harris cites the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority as an example, which
does long-range project planning, prioritizing and funding through public and private
partnerships. “If you look at a map and look
at all the construction projects for roads and
transit, there is a lot going on in Northern
Virginia,” he said. “There is nothing going on here. The only thing we have on the
books is the proposed 16-mile Purple Line
Metro from Bethesda to New Carrollton. ...
There is really no firm mechanism to move
forward here (in Maryland). There are certainly no road projects going on at present
in this region. We just can’t sit here and say,
‘Well, we will just surrender. There is nothing we can do.’ Of course, if we have the
will, we can do something about this and
make it better. If it doesn’t get built for 30
By Gina Gallucci-White
Police Saw a Crime Increase Last Year
T
he Gaithersburg Police Department saw
a nearly 10 percent increase in crime
last year, according to the agency’s annual report. Released on March 1, the report
contains data gathered for the FBI’s Uniform
Crime Reporting Part I offenses. Collected
from the calendar year, there were 1,769 incidents last year compared to 2014’s total of
1,610.
While calls for service increased, going
from 32,195 in 2014 up to 34,938 last year, so
did arrests. Officers made 1,005 adult and 68
juvenile arrests in 2015—up from 885 in 2014.
GPD spokesperson Officer Dan Lane said
the department is not concerned about the increase. Officers have been doing more proactive policing and encouraging people to call
in when they see something suspicious. “We
think that is helping with the increase in numbers,” he said.
Mayor Jud Ashman said that the city is
keeping an eye on the increase, but explained,
“Part of this is due to our officers initiating
more arrests, meaning that they are being diligent in their patrols and are making arrests for
crimes which may have otherwise gone unreported. We believe some of the increase is also
due to our efforts to encourage more people to
report incidents when they see them.”
There are seven categories in the FBI crime
report: homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated
assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. Two
saw decreases while the remaining five saw an
increase in numbers.
Homicides dropped by 50 percent from two
in 2014 to one in 2015. Aggravated assaults
also declined by 25.7 percent—going from
136 in 2014 to 101 last year. Of the 101, the
department states 59 were domestic-related
and 12 others were by a known suspect. “It is
encouraging to see a downward trend in homicides and aggravated assaults,” noted Ashman.
Larcenies went up from 1,251 to 1,358, an
8.6 percent increase. Reported rapes rose from
10 to 25. Auto thefts increased from 53 to 67
cases.
There was a 45.9 percent increase in robberies going from 37 in 2014 up to 54 last
year. The number of burglaries also rose from
121 to 163.
This data, along with daily crime maps put
together by the department’s crime analyst,
will be used to focus enforcement in certain
areas, Lane said.
“As our community grows, our vigilance is
as important as ever,” Ashman said. “The City
Council and I are committed to programs
to ensure public safety, which is reflected in
initiatives that you’ll see in both the strategic
plan and the proposed budget for the coming
fiscal year.
Taking several months to complete, the 22page report also provides details on the department’s history, training, community outreach activities and officer awards. The report
is completed annually to give the public “a
brief description of what the department has
done for the past year,” Lane said.
To view the report online, go to www.
gaitherburgmd.gov under the public safety
section.
years and I’m dead and buried by then, that’s
OK. I mean, I would rather be around to see
it but it needs to get done. It is important for
the region. As leaders in the region, we need
to put our heads together and see about how
(to make it happen) and not just say that it
can’t be done.”
While the MARC train does service
downtown Frederick to Gaithersburg, it only
runs from north to south in the morning and
vice versa in the afternoon. “If you are going
downtown to work, it is a good service but
you had better not try to get home early if
your kid is sick or something because there is
no way to get back on MARC until the trains
start running again” in the afternoon, Harris said. “It’s not as useful as Metro or other
modes of transit would be at present. If it runs
in both directions more frequently than once
an hour all day long, then it is a different ball
game, but that’s something that has been in
consideration for a long time and is also not
on the short-term horizon.”
Platt said he has heard from “a good number of folks in Gaithersburg” that support
looking into a Red Line extension. Many
say there is no money for new transportation
projects, especially a costly Metro extension,
but Platt is undeterred. “I think we need to
walk and chew bubble gum at the same time,”
he said. “We need to be building things like
the Purple Line and working on the Corridor Cities Transitway, but we also need to be
thinking about what we can be doing 10, 15,
20 years down the road. I think if we don’t
think about those things now, they will never
happen.”
By Gina Gallucci-White
Potomac Valley Shopping Center
Annexation Petition Reopened
At the March 7 Mayor and City
Council meeting, the developer’s request to reopen the record for Annexation Petition X-7089-2015, Potomac
Valley Shopping Center, was approved.
The 8.28-acre property is located at
the southeast corner of the intersection
of Quince Orchard and Darnestown
roads and is currently in the Montgomery County Neighborhood Retail (NR
0.75) Zone. Annexation into the city
would bring the property into Gaithersn
city scene Continued on page 6
MEETING CALENDAR
3/18
Economic and Business Development Committee Meeting, City Hall Gallery, 7:30 a.m.
3/21
Mayor and City Council Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
3/23
Historic District Commission Meeting, City
Hall Council Chambers, 7:30 p.m.
3/30
Council in the Communities Meeting, Diamond Elementary School, 7:30 p.m.
For the latest information on city meetings, visit the City of Gaithersburg website
at www.gaithersburgmd.gov.
Page 6
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016
Juried Art Exhibit Coming to Kentlands Mansion
By Sharon Allen Gilder
K
entlands Mansion will be the “curator” of Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association’s (GFAA) 30th Annual Juried Art Exhibit when the show opens on
March 25. Two-dimensional fine artwork,
on display through June 12, will be judged
in three categories: water media, oil/
acrylic, and other media including drawing, pastel, tempera, pen and ink, ink/
wash, encaustic, mixed, and “no assemblage” collage. Juror and award-winning
local watercolorist Susan Avis Murphy will
judge the exhibit. Artists whose work has
been accepted into the juried show will be
announced March 22.
According to GFAA President Susan
Bradley, the association was established in
1977 by a small group of artists to exchange
ideas, techniques and information about
visual arts. Sixty-one members currently
comprise the association that provides an
art forum for its members to collaborate
on activities that expand on their individual artistic backgrounds. Members enjoy educational programs during monthly
meetings, promotional opportunities, and
outreach to local audiences and the broader
artistic and collector communities.
Sandra Schraibman, the exhibit’s chairperson, said, “The Kentlands exhibit is
GFAA’s biggest show of the year and an
opportunity for members to present their
best work. Many members regularly exhibit their work throughout Montgom-
Photo | Submitted
Watercolorist Susan Avis Murphy will judge the Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association’s 30th Annual Juried Art Exhibit,
which will be on view at Kentlands Mansion March 25
through June 12.
ery County and the broader Washington,
D.C., area, and a number serve as art instructors both privately and through local
art institutions. We are honored to have
Susan Avis Murphy as the juror. … She is
a nationally-recognized artist and art instructor whose work can be found in over
20 major corporation collections.”
Murphy, who has lived in Sandy Spring,
Maryland, since 1985, added her studio
and gallery called ARThouse to her home
in 1990. She has signature memberships in
the American, National, Baltimore, and
Southern Watercolor Societies. Inspired
by her mother who took watercolor classes
with a neighbor, Murphy began painting
when she was eight years old and “started
painting seriously” when she was 25.
She said that the painting an artist submits to a juried show may “be a little different than one for other purposes.” She
cites six main characteristics of a good juried show painting: intentionality, timelessness, execution, conciseness, composition
and creativity.
She examines the execution of the main
characteristics, including the artist’s intentions (they need to be clear, fulfilled and
have universal appeal), mastery of technique and confidence in handling materials, communication of one storyline without unnecessary components, underlying
abstract design, and balanced composition.
Murphy also determines that “the artist
understands the principles of design, and
the subject is not hackneyed. And if common, an uncommon viewpoint or treat-
ment has been selected.”
Murphy noted, “The hardest part will
be picking the prize winners since I’m sure
there will be many excellent paintings, and
it is always subjective to some extent. I will
need to balance technical skill against creativity and award paintings that show both.
I will also look for effort: Is the painting
truly finished the best it could have been,
or are there lost opportunities?”
She added, “Competition serves an important purpose in the art world because it
is constantly ‘raising the bar.’ As artists see
what other artists are doing, they become
aware of new approaches and become inspired to improve their own painting.”
Schraibman said, “Our reception and
awards ceremony will be held on March 29
from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. We are hoping
to have not just GFAA members and their
families and friends attend but also folks
from the Kentlands neighborhood and the
broader area.”
For more information, visit www.
gaithersburgfinearts.org
and
www.
arthouseart.com.
assignmenteducation
Dr. Jack Smith Appointed
Superintendent
The Montgomery County Board of Education officially appointed Dr. Jack Smith
as superintendent of Montgomery County
Public Schools (MCPS) and approved his
employment contract on Tuesday, March 8.
Dr. Smith, who has been serving as interim
state superintendent of schools since September 2015, will begin his tenure in Montgomery County on July 1, 2016. He succeeds Mr.
Larry A. Bowers, who has served as interim
superintendent since February 2015 and
plans to retire on June 30, 2016.
Under the terms of the four-year contract,
Dr. Smith will earn a salary of $275,000 per
year, and also will receive $40,000 in de-
ferred compensation, as well as a contribution of $19,875 toward his retirement plan.
Dr. Smith will receive other benefits, including health, disability and life insurance;
moving expenses; and the use of a vehicle.
Districtwide Mathematics Plan and
Data Review
The Board of Education received a presentation from MCPS staff and held a discussion
on the district’s mathematics plan March 8.
MCPS’ mathematics milestone data for the
past three years indicate a decline in performance for students across grade levels. This
spring, the district will undertake a review
of its current mathematics program, which
will include an examination of curriculum,
instruction and assessments.
cityscene
from page 5
Black Memorabilia, Fine Art & Crafts Show
Purchase Black Memorabilia, Fine
Art & Crafts from many vendors
and artist.
View Educational Exhibits
including Slavery Artifacts,
Buffalo Soldiers, Black Panther
Party, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X,
Negro League Baseball, George
Washington Carver & Tuskegee
Airmen.
Obtain autographs from Negro
League Baseball Players,
Tuskegee Airmen & others.
April 9 & 10, 2016
Saturday: 10 AM – 7 PM
Sunday: 10 AM – 5 PM
Montgomery County Fairgrounds
16 Chestnut Street
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877
Admission: $7, Students are admitted FREE
All Indoors * Good Food * Free Parking
(301) 649-1915
www.johnsonshows.com
www.facebook.com/Blackmemorabiliashow
burg’s Mixed-Use Zone.
Mayor Jud Ashman stressed that this is a
procedural motion and does not express any
decision for or against annexation. The motion allows the city to consider further evidence and public testimony. The record is
opened indefinitely for now.
Ruthzaly Weich Appointed to
Gaithersburg Planning Commission
At the March 7 meeting of the Gaithersburg Mayor and City Council, a resolution
was passed appointing Ruthzaly Weich to a
position on the Planning Commission that
was vacated by Commissioner Geri Lanier,
who is moving out of the area. Weich’s term
will expire in March 2021. At the same
meeting Philip Wessell was appointed as an
alternate to the Planning Commission, with
a term that also expires in March of 2021.
Both Weich and Wessell were members of
the Gaithersburg Historic District Commission until their appointment to the Planning
Commission.
Weich holds a Master of Architecture with
an emphasis in Urban Planning from Andrews University in Michigan. She is an associate with Jeff Speck and Associates and a
consultant with Michael Watkins Architects.
She has served the Gaithersburg community
on the Kentlands Community Foundation
and the Kentlands Historic Trust.
Police Officers of the Year Honored
Chief of Police Mark Sroka presented the
2015 Officer of the Year award to Evan Milano and the 2015 Supervisor of the Year
Award to Sergeant Shawn Eastman during
the March 7 Mayor and City Council meeting.. These awards acknowledge exceptional
accomplishment throughout the year and
also reflect the recognition of supervisors and
peers. Chief Sroka also presented a promotional certificate to Corporal Dan McCarthy.
The competitive promotional process entails
a written exam, resume and oral interview
board comprised of allied agency members.
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016 Page 7
arts& entertainment ‘Third Annual Art League of
Germantown (ALOG) Exhibit’
Through March 20; call 301.258.6425 for
viewing hours, Kentlands Mansion
This exhibit features art in many
media
by
members
of
ALOG.
www.gaithersburgmd.gov
‘Contemporary Quilters: A Modern
View of Life’
Through April 25, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri.,
1:30-5:30 p.m. Saturday; Artists Reception
April 2, 6:30-8 p.m., Arts Barn
Work by Albert Feldman, Floris Flan,
Margaret Hartranft, Lauren Kingsland,
Sarah Pavlik, Donna Radner, Anne Smyers
and Susan Walen will be on display. www.
gaithersburgmd.gov
‘Fiddler on the Roof, Jr.’
Through March 20, Saturdays and Sundays at
11 a.m. & 2 p.m., Arts Barn
With music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by
Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein,
this production of “Fiddler on the Roof,
Jr.” presented by KAT-2nd Stage is a songfilled one-hour adaptation of the beloved
musical. The cast is comprised of young
performers who tackle “Fiddler’s” universal themes in ways that reach across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion.
Recommended for ages 7 and up. Tickets
are $15 for adults, and $12 for youth (14
and under). www.gaithersburgmd.gov
Penny Theater
March 17, 10:15 a.m., 11:15 a.m.,
4:30 p.m., Quince Orchard Library
Folk and nursery tales are performed in
a miniature puppet theater. Children ages
3 to 6 and parents also practice theater etiquette. Free, but registration is required.
Please call 240.777.0200. www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library/branches/quinceorchard.html
Main Street Farmers Market
March 19 & 26, 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, potted plants, baked goods, dog treats, meat,
eggs and honey. www.gaithersburgmd.gov
‘Learn About the Telegraph, Morse
Code, During Discovery Day
Drop by for demonstrations and experimentation with a telegraph and Morse
code. Communicate with a second station
that will be set up in the caboose. Information on Morse code will be provided
to create coded messages to send out using
a telegraph sounder. Make your own telegraph sounder for a small fee. Free admission. www.gaithersburgmd.gov
Benefit Concert for
Gaithersburg HELP
March 19, 6-8 p.m., First Baptist Church of
Gaithersburg, 200 W. Diamond Ave.
The National Christian Choir performs,
and all proceeds benefit Gaithersburg
HELP, a nonprofit organization that provides basic needs assistance (food, formula,
etc.) to eligible Gaithersburg residents. Arrive early to bid on gift baskets, spa packages, sports memorabilia and more offered
in a Silent Auction. Tickets are $15 each.
www.gaithersburghelp.org
sfz salon series – The Violin With
the Shiozaki Duo
March 19, 7:30 p.m., Kentlands Mansion
The Shiozaki Duo, a highly acclaimed
husband and wife team, has been performing together since they met in 2008.
Praised by The New York Times as “spellbinding,” the duo has performed in a variety of venues like Carnegie Hall’s Stern
Auditorium, Eyebeam and Dillon Gallery
in NYC. Both musicians are passionate
about chamber music and at home with
music new and old. They will perform
works by Gabriel Fauré, Somei Satoh and
Aaron Copland. Tickets are $25 for adults,
and $12 for youth (18 and under). www.
gaithersburgmd.gov
Spring Bridal Showcase
March 20, 12-4 p.m., Kentlands Mansion
Experience the elegance and charm of
historic Kentlands Mansion while meeting one-on-one with a variety of wedding vendors, including caterers, photographers, event planners, musicians,
makeup artists, hotel representatives and
more. Brides-to-be can spend the day sampling delicious cuisine from the area’s finest caterers, checking out a photo booth,
and discovering the latest bridal fashions and wedding trends. Tickets are $5.
www.gaithersburmd.gov
Kentlands Acoustic Jam
March 19, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Gaithersburg Community Museum
March 22, 6 p.m., Kentlands Clubhouse
Bring your acoustic instrument and
■ legislation
and jobs as well as traffic, the interchange
is critically important. It is fully designed,
funded, and shovel-ready. We need to have
it back on track.”
Interchange construction was scheduled to
begin this year, following the approximately
$40 million investment that has already been
made on feasibility, design and related infrastructure. Montgomery County has contributed $4.9 million to the project, and the City
of Gaithersburg has dedicated approximately
23 acres of land.
The SHA plans to do an I-270 traffic study,
and may open this to bids in May. The Watkins Mill/I-270 Interchange would be one of
the options considered by the study.
from page 1
redevelop the northern part of our city, a key
employment center. … All data shows that
the WMI (Watkins Mill Interchange) project
is a key driver for the redevelopment of this
area, creating more good jobs for Marylanders.” Harris said there has been little response
from Governor Hogan.
Mayor Jud Ashman will testify next week
on behalf of the emergency bill. “The Watkins Mill Interchange is a vital project for
Gaithersburg, for Montgomery County, and
for the whole corridor,” Ashman said. “From
the standpoints of economic development
voice to join in the jam session, or just listen. This session will be built around an
Irish theme. Free. www.reverbnation.
com/kentlandsacousticjam
R.E.A.D. to a Dog
March 24 and 31, 7-8:30 p.m., Quince
Orchard Library
School-age children, especially beginners learning to read and those who want
to improve their confidence in reading
skills, are invited to practice reading aloud
in short (10 to 15 minute), semi-private
sessions with certified therapy dogs. First
come, first served. No registration required. Children must be accompanied by
an adult. www.montgomerycountymd.
gov/library/branches/quinceorchard.html
30th Annual Gaithersburg Fine Arts
Association Juried Exhibition
March 25-June 10, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.
through Fri.; Artists Reception March 29,
7-8:30 p.m., Kentlands Mansion
Founded in 1970, the Gaithersburg Fine
Arts Association has grown to more than 60
members, many of whom regularly exhibit
their work, actively teach, or contribute
to Montgomery County arts events. The
group’s limited scope allows for intense
dedication to the classical mediums of the
arts. Members work in drawing media, oil,
watercolor, acrylic, tempera and the graphic arts. Free. www.gaithersburgmd.gov
Spring Planting
March 26, 2-4 p.m., Quince Orchard Library
Compiled by Pam Schipper
It’s spring! Learn to grow flowers and
vegetables from seed. Take home a sixcell seed starter tray of the planted seeds
and watch them grow! For ages 8 to adult.
Free. www.montgomerycountymd.gov/
library/branches/quinceorchard.html
The Sign-a-Long Sing-a-Long
March 30, 10-11 a.m., Quince Orchard Library
Explore American Sign Language
through music and stories! Bring the
whole family for hands-on fun as signing
(and singing) storyteller Kathy MacMillan
teaches you to sign some of your favorite
songs. Free. www.montgomerycountymd.
gov/library/branches/quinceorchard.html
How to Have an Incredible Pet
March 30, 7-8 p.m., Quince Orchard Library
Most pets can be “dream” pets if their
owner knows how to train them, respond
to them and build a lifelong, loving relationship with them. Part of this is understanding that pets have feelings and
emotions, too. Learn why pets trust their
owner unconditionally; the importance
of teaching children compassion toward
pets; how to choose the best pet for your
family’s lifestyle; the importance of socializing a pet so it will be an easygoing, loving and enjoyable companion. You’ll also
meet ambassador pets as part of the presentation. Program presented by the Montgomery County Humane Society. Free.
Please call 240.777.0200 for more information. www.montgomerycountymd.gov/
library/branches/quinceorchard.html
Page 8
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016
■ SUGAR PLUM
from page 1
original fairytale ballet that tells the backstory of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
When MBT Artistic Director Elizabeth
Odell Catlett pondered her desire “to create a completely original, brand-new, fulllength ballet” with a “magical and ethereal” theme, the idea of a prequel to “The
Nutcracker” came to mind. “All I know is
when I have a creative idea, I immediately
brainstorm the entire dance or ballet,” she
said, noting that she had previously created
“full-length ballets around well-known
stories—(like) ‘Thumbelina’ and ‘Snow
White,’ and plenty of short-length works.”
Catlett, who has been with MBT for six
years, enlisted her friend and former MBT
student Heather Katz to help create the
story. The two brainstormed over coffee
and lunches during 2014. “Heather was extremely helpful in creating the characters,”
Catlett said. “Our ideas melded extremely
well, and we created a complex and emotional storyline.”
Katz, a Kentlands resident whose two
daughters also danced with MBT, was
taken with Catlett’s “fantastic idea. I can’t
figure out why it’s never been done before.
It has been in the public domain (for more
than 100 years),” she said, and pointed out
the success of “Wicked,” the untold story
of the witches from “The Wizard of Oz.”
The MBT Board of Directors, Katz
said, fundraised to enable Catlett to hire
Photo | Mac Kennedy
Metropolitan Ballet Theatre dancers practice for the premiere of “Becoming Sugar Plum,” written by MBT Artistic Director Elizabeth Odell Catlett and Heather Katz, a Kentlands resident.
composer Alexandra T. Bryant, a doctoral
candidate at the University of Maryland’s
School of Music, to create the original musical score. “I was instantly entranced by
Alexandra (Lexi) Bryant’s music. I could
connect to her works, and sing and choreograph to them in my head,” Catlett
said. She was pleased to work with another
woman. “We are strong and determined
females in a world that is primarily masculine. The majority of classical ballets are
composed and choreographed by men. We
had the chance to change that.”
Catlett found the collaboration with
Bryant “relatively easy. The hardest thing
for us was balancing time, and not speaking the same language,” she said, alluding
to her own ballet vocabulary and Bryant’s
musical one. But, she explained, “We were
very eager to work together, and laid back”
in terms of ego, and thus managed to negotiate the challenges “There were obviously edits and changes that I requested be
made to her compositions, but I wanted
her music to reflect her,” Catlett said.
Catlett also came up with the idea of
working with Katz to write a children’s
storybook with the same title. “I wanted Heather and me to claim ownership of
the story,” she said. Art teacher Ellen Cunningham, Catlett’s mother, helped out the
authors by doing the illustrations. They
used Amazon’s CreateSpace to publish the
first edition. Katz hopes a second, more
professional book will be produced in the
future.
As far as the ballet, Catlett said, “it is still
in the process of being made. The premiere
on March 18 will be the first edition. ... I
look forward to seeing our years of work
come to life.”
Katz said she imagines that other ballet
companies around the country will want
to perform this veritable “ballet in a box.
It’s very sellable: new storyline, characters,
score and choreography. I’m super excited
to see it come alive.”
To learn more about the world premiere
fairytale ballet “Becoming Sugar Plum,”
call 301.762.1757 or visit www.mbtdance.
org.
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016 Page 9
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Page 10
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016
Photo | Submitted
Caterers Bennett, Putting on the Ritz, Savory Gourmet and Stone Soup will all be at the Spring Bridal Showcase.
Kentlands Mansion
Showcases Happily Ever After
By Pam Schipper
Photo | Submitted
The Kentlands Mansion Spring Bridal Showcase is Sunday, March 20, noon to 4 p.m.
Spring SpecialS!
I
t is the perfect fairytale setting: a Georgian Revival mansion with a romantic,
flowering side garden and a secondfloor balcony that is set back on a sweeping, manicured lawn. The dream continues inside with 22-foot ceilinged rooms
and crystal chandeliers whose light dances
on polished hardwood floors and mahogany paneled walls. A graceful staircase leads
you upstairs to smaller rooms that include
two dedicated to the bridal party.
No wonder WeddingWire recently gave
the Kentlands Mansion 4.8 out of 5 stars
and a 2016 Couples’ Choice Award®.
Future brides and grooms, their family
and friends can explore ways to make their
dreams come true at the Kentlands Mansion Spring Bridal Showcase on March 20,
noon to 4 p.m. Teresa Izquierdo, program
coordinator for Kentlands Mansion bridal
shows, said that guests will be welcomed
to the spring show on the canopy porch
and can be photographed by A-List Photo
Booths upon registration. Once inside,
guests will “get a tour of the mansion while
visiting vendors,” explained Izquierdo. “I
utilize every part of the house.”
The Kentlands Mansion has been holding bridal shows for 13 years, and Izquierdo has coordinated the events for the past
six years. A highlight new to this show, she
said, is a concierge service for the groom
and groomsmen called Knot the Guy.
“It’s nice to have something geared toward gentlemen,” she explained, noting
that weddings traditionally focus on the
bride. Based in D.C., Knot the Guy provides wardrobe styling and preparation
assistance for the big day, including help
with ties and pocket squares, cuff links and
studs. Tuxedo assistance, suit pressing, shoe
shining, haircut and shave are also offered.
Izquierdo is excited about the two bak-
eries coming to the spring event—Nothing
Bundt Cakes that just opened last month
at The Shops at Potomac Valley and Sweet
DC, LLC, based in Germantown. “I’m
glad that we have two local bakers who
do different things,” she said. “Sweet DC
customizes their cupcakes and cakes, cake
pops and cookies. They’re affordable and
tasty.” Nothing Bundt Cakes was a vendor at the 2015 Kentlands Mansion Fall
Bridal Showcase, before the bakery officially opened, and Izquierdo said she was
impressed with the versatility of their bundtinis and customized bundt cakes.
Caterers Bennett, Putting on the Ritz,
Savory Gourmet and Stone Soup will all
be at the show. Gaithersburg-based Stone
Soup is a regular and “one of our favorites,”
Izquierdo said.
While what you will serve your guests at
your wedding is important, so, too, is looking your best. Local business Kentlands
Nutrition will be offering a Bridal Bootcamp program so that brides, their mothers
and anyone in the bridal party “can be in
the best shape for the biggest day of their
lives,” said Laura McClure, business owner. The eight-week program focuses on fitness and nutrition. Participants take part in
weekly exercise sessions and one-on-one,
20-minute nutrition consultations at the
240 Main St. store. Prizes are given each
week, and a cash prize is given to the three
biggest weight-loss participants at the end
of the program. McClure said she will also
offer free wellness evaluations, samples of
her Drink and Shrink Tea, other healthy
snacks and free pedometers to bridal show
guests.
For a full list of vendors, who also include photographers, event planners, musicians, makeup artists, hotel representatives
and more, visit www.gaithersburgmd.gov.
Admission to the show is $5.
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016 Page 11
Doggies’ Den Has Tails Wagging
By Sharon Allen Gilder
J
eff LaBrec knows firsthand about a
business ‘going to the dogs’ and in
his case it’s a good thing. LaBrec is
owner of Doggies’ Den, a supervised indoor, all-play, dog daycare facility opening soon in Kentlands in a niche behind
Kmart. Directional signs lead the way
to a glass-paneled front door and logoed
canopy that welcomes four-legged guests
for enrollment to the indoor dog park.
LaBrec has been a Montgomery County resident since 1963. Over the years he
has loved, nurtured, and been the parent to four black Labs. He said he has a
special bond with dogs and that he is the
“chief cook and bottle washer” for the
canines at his daycare that he refers to as
his kids. Celebrating its 15th year, Doggies’ Den was located in Germantown
until this past October when LaBrec said
he was forced to relocate “after Saul Corporation sold out to CVS.”
Interviews are conducted with every
dog before it is accepted into the pro-
gram. “Some breeds I give what I call a
hard interview … dogs that tend to just
genetically be a little bit dominant in a
pack situation. I want to make sure that
they’re not going to be that way when
they get into a large group of dogs,” said
LaBrec.
He explained that it is important to
know a dog’s body language and vocalization. “There are just breeds that have
stronger personalities like some of your
guard dog breeds and some of your hunting breeds. I bring out different kinds of
dogs to meet the new dog so that I see
how it is with different personalities and
energy.”
Immunization records from the dog’s
veterinarian are required before enrollment. LaBrec said, “The Montgomery
County Police Department’s K-9 Division holds my number one license. The
place is inspected every year by a K-9
officer, and I also have to submit vet records to them.”
Cubbies in the lobby with Fido’s photo
are for leashes and food. The den’s envi-
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have from the other daycares. Some daycares will have a structured down time
when they crate up animals for a few
hours during the day. Most of my clients
are like, ‘I’m not paying to have my dog
crated up for a few hours.’”
Staff counselors support the daycare’s
tagline, “The Happy Hound’s Hangout,”
by giving lots of petting and belly rubbing. LaBrec said that toys for romping, ball chasing, and wrestling with
friends are provided by the facility and
not brought from home to keep the toys
neutral. If a toy becomes a tug of war
between den mates, “I take it away and
watch a pout appear,” he said. A doggie
cam gives owners a live Internet view of
their dog’s day.
At noon, lunch period begins. LaBrec
said that some dogs do not eat a meal
during the day because they get one or
two meals a day at home, so he makes
n
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Page 12
■ doggies’ den
from page 11
sure that they get a treat. He explained,
“I’ll take a dog out of the daycare, bring
it over to an area, feed it and then put
it back in. Every dog, regardless if the
parents bring food or not, will be taken
out of the daycare and given some kind
of treat so they don’t feel left out of the
pack, so everybody’s getting food, everybody’s on the same playing field. Everybody goes through the same scenario
‘cause everybody knows what’s going on
at lunch time.”
He said a unique feature of his daycare is not separating dogs by size. “I tell
people it’s like the real world outside dog
park situation where just about everybody’s mixed. … I’ve had little six-pound
Yorkies running around with 150-pound
dogs and everybody’s getting along, everything’s been fine.” He said he has been
told that tails wag in the morning when
his clients ask their dogs, “Are you ready
to go to school and see Mr. Jeff ?” He
added, “My job is to watch over the dogs
and provide a safe, clean play environment for them.”
The Town Courier
“It’s all indoors and everybody figures
out it’s OK to go to the bathroom inside and it’s not something that’s going
to transfer to home because obviously
the environment’s different, the whole
dynamic’s different.” A special paint on
the floors protects them from damage.
LaBrec added, “We walk around with
a mop in our hands all day and mop up
pee and pick up poop and watch the dogs
play, so it’s a very clean environment. After all of the dogs are gone at the end of
the day, the floor is swept up of all the
hair and disinfected with a special cleaner
and made ready for the next day.”
He shared, “You know, most people
have their job and they might be happy
in it or just going through the motions.
I tell people there’s not a day that hasn’t
gone by that the dogs don’t do something
that doesn’t put a smile on my face regardless of how I’m feeling.”
Doggies’ Den is open Monday-Friday
from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. In addition to daycare services, the business offers pickup and drop-off services and grooming
from a local mobile groomer for extra
fees. For more information, visit www.
doggiesden.com or call Jeff LaBrec at
301.515.1020.
March 18, 2016
Photo | Sharon Allen Gilder
Doggies’ Den, an indoor dog daycare, is opening soon in a space behind Kmart.
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016 The ParkPages
News and Current Events for Quince Orchard Park
n
Page 13
Meeting Calendar
March 21 — ACC Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
April 12 — Annual Meeting, Clubhouse, 7 p.m.
E-mail your contributions to pam@towncourier.com
n
march 2016
MANAGEMENT MENTIONS
Trash and Recycling
Photo | Christine Darton-Henrichsen, potshots by Christine
Spring in the Park
With the warmer temps, everyone is out
and about—residents and their contractors working on homes, children playing
in yards and common areas, and animals
near the ponds. As you throw off winter
and make way for spring, please remember to consult Quince Orchard Park Design
Standards and Guidelines before making
any exterior modifications to your home
and pay special attention to traffic rules
and regulations. When they’re having fun
outdoors, children sometimes forget to
look for cars before crossing the street.
QOP NEWS
Architectural Change Request. Please wait
for approval before painting.
For all other exterior modifications, “an
Architectural Change Request must be submitted, but the Architectural Control Committee can allow changes,” said Ruchita Patel, community manager, “so not all homes
need be the same.”
The ACC is now working to compile a
list of approved roof shingles. The roofs of
townhomes and duplexes in the same neighborhood need to match as closely as possible.
Poolhouse Renovations
Picking Up Steam
Photo | Christine Darton-Henrichsen, potshots by Christine
Please keep Quince Orchard Park beautiful this spring and place bags of garbage inside lidded trash cans. Trash in bags
attracts animals who rip them open, looking for their next meal. Trash is quickly strewn throughout the community.
Let’s Keep QOP Beautiful
Please don’t leave trash out for pickup in
bags only. This attracts birds, rodents and
other wildlife, especially in the warmer
months when thrown-out food becomes
more fragrant and enticing. Trash must be
left for pickup in lidded, plastic containers
that are marked with your house number.
We can do this together. If you see a trashcatastrophe unfolding—garbage escaping
from a ripped bag—please help your neighbors out by picking up and securing their refuse before it is carried away by that famous
March wind.
A big thank you to everyone who brings
their trash containers in following pickup.
Your efforts are much appreciated.
Comments Needed on
Draft Design Guidelines
The Architectural Control Committee
(ACC) and The Management Group Associates have been working for many months to
clarify and update the community’s Design
Standards and Guidelines. Please look for
these updated draft design guidelines, including a palette of approved exterior home
colors, on the Quince Orchard Park website
soon. The ACC and management company
welcome your comments.
This effort was undertaken to streamline
the decision-making process for exterior
modifications. The need for home maintenance and renovation has increased as the
community has aged. Yet in this 15-year
period, some of the information on original
paint colors, screens, garage doors, etc. has
been lost. The new draft design guidelines
restore some of this original information.
Perhaps most problematic for homeowners has been exterior repainting. Matching a paint chip from your home does not
give you the home’s original color, as paint
fades over time. So what color should you
use? The draft design guidelines include a
palette of approved exterior home colors. If
you are looking to repaint to your home’s
original color, this palette available on the
QOP website will help. Just choose a color
that best matches your current one and start
painting. No Architectural Change Request
is needed.
If you are changing the color of your
home—and even if you choose from the approved colors—you do need to fill out an
According to Alex Deering, QOP assistant manager, renovations to the pool house
are ahead of schedule. Painting began last
week, and a new Palmalite flooring that will
not mold will be installed at the end of the
month. Other renovations include new bathroom stalls and furniture.
You may receive a pool information reminder in the mail if The Management
Group Associates does not have all of your
information—email addresses, emergency
contact information, etc. Please go to the
QOP website, www.quinceorchardpark.
com, and provide this information at your
earliest convenience.
Looking ahead to the pool season, please
consider volunteering to plan QOP’s annual
Labor Day Doggie Swim. This event is a hit
with human and canine residents of Quince
Orchard Park alike year after year.
Annual Meeting Brings Board
Elections, Appointments
On Tuesday, April 12, 7 p.m. at the
Quince Orchard Park Community Center,
one homeowner will be elected to serve on
the Board of Directors. The term of service
is three years. Two additional volunteers are
needed to serve on the Board to fill positions that are vacant due to Board members
Trash is collected on Tuesday and
Friday and must be placed in lidded
trash cans. If left for collection in bags
only, trash is ripped open by animals
and strewn throughout the community. Continued use of bags may result
in fines.
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. Bulk recycling pickups are
usually the first Friday of each month.
This month, the bulk recycling pickup
will be Friday, April 1.
Trash cans and recycle bins must be
stored out of sight on non-pickup days.
The City of Gaithersburg and Potomac Disposal (301.294.9700) both offer
collection services for bulk items at no
cost.
Dog Duty
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.
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
moving from the community. Volunteers for
these two positions will be appointed by the
existing Board members following the Annual Meeting.
“We would love to have more people,”
said Board President Troy Kennedy. He noted that serving on the Board is a great way to
find out how things work in the community
and affect change. Beyond monthly, threehour Board meetings, time commitment for
serving on the Board is minimal.
No experience is needed to serve on the
Board, but Board members must be QOP
residents. Open Board positions include vice
president, secretary and member-at-large.
Please contact Community Manager Ruchita Patel, 301.948.6666 or RPatel@tmgainc.
com, with any questions.
Page 14
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016
nora’scorner
Saturdays at the Movies
J
ohn Kelly’s Washington, Feb. 7, 2016
column in The Washington Post beginning,
“Some of the best characters at the movies of old
weren’t up on the screen”
jogged my memories of
Saturdays at the movBy Nora
ies in my hometown of
Caplan
Springfield, Missouri, in
the 1930s and early 1940s. The city had a
population of only 61,000 back then, but we
had a surprising number of movie theaters.
There were two first-run cinemas—the
Electric on the Public Square and the Gillioz (pronounced “Gill oys”) just around
the corner downtown on St. Louis Street.
The Landers, a few blocks away on Walnut
Street, was our family’s favorite. It showed
second-run movies, and admission tickets
were cheaper than those at the Electric and
the Gilliioz. Inside, the interior showed its
age, but it was homier and less intimidating than the first-run, upscale theaters; the
cashier and the ushers seemed friendly. Since
segregation was in full force at this time in
Springfield, the Landers was the one movie
theater African-Americans could attend—
but only in the second balcony. Elsewhere
in Springfield was the Mozark, which was
squeezed in between Kresge and Woolworth dime stores and opposite the Elec-
tric on the Public Square. We considered
it tacky because it showed mostly cowboy
movies and appealed to the country people who came to town on Saturdays. There
may have been a theater on the north side of
Springfield, but that was alien country as far
as we were concerned, so I don’t remember
its name if it existed.
The last summer of his life, my father and
I frequently took the bus for a short ride
from Delmar Street where we lived (a tencent fare) to the Landers, where another ten
cents or so admitted us to an afternoon of
pleasure. I remember one hot summer day
when we went there to cool off and to see
“Ghost Breakers,” a scary film starring Bob
Hope and Paulette Goddard. A boy with a
big bag of penny candy was sitting several
rows behind us. At one sudden, frightening
scene the boy jumped up in his seat, and a
shower of candy rained down upon my father’s bald pate. Both of us were startled at
first, then we began laughing. The incident
made a good story that we repeated to family and friends, over and over again.
A few years later, I got a job as a cashier at
the Landers. This gave me an insider’s perspective on the theater. I developed a jolly
relationship with the teenage boys who were
ushers and the girl who worked in the popcorn concession. They actually contributed
a few dollars of their hard-earned money
to buy me a bottle of Chantilly cologne for
my birthday. The fly in the ointment came
each evening when I had to tally up the
proceeds and go over it with the manager,
an alcoholic whose office upstairs was dark
and reeked of cigar smoke. He questioned
any shortage. I usually attributed this to a
faulty change machine, rather than my own
ineptitude in figuring out change. But the
total shortage was minimal, and he grudgingly let me go home.
One of the earliest movies I remember
was the original version of the horror film
“The Mummy,” featuring the terrifying
Boris Karloff, whose black-rimmed eyes
stared out from the publicity posters. Those
should have warned my mother that this
was no proper fare for her impressionable
six-year old. Mother must have had business to take care of that day because she
dropped me off at the Gillioz Theater, accompanied only by my eight-year-old relative. I became more and more frightened as
the scenes unfolded of a torch-lit burial rite
in ancient Egypt. Finally when the main
character, Boris Karloff, was about to be
buried alive, I screeched and burst into such
violent sobs that I had to be removed. My
nephew was furious that he had to miss the
ending. It was years before he was able to
see the rest of “The Mummy,” and I was
much older when I felt brave enough to see
the entire movie. By then, it seemed only
mildly scary.
The Electric Theater was selected to
show “Gone With the Wind” (GWTW).
It was presented as what was called a “road
show,” which always had increased ticket
prices. Special programs were sold before,
during the intermission, and at the end of
the film. I had devoured the book and collected enough articles from movie magazines before GWTW was finally released to
fill a scrapbook. I was in a state of feverish
anticipation the first day it ran, but I had arrived on the Square so early that I had time
enough to get a block of chocolate to sustain
me for the unheard of four hours of the film
and still be first in line. Afterwards, I left in
a daze that lasted for a week. My mother refused to let me see “Gone With the Wind”
for a second time. “You’ll ruin your eyes,”
she stated, but I think she was concerned by
my intense response to it.
Her reaction now reminds me of the effect of movies on people like me. The shaping of our emotional lives even as adults was
influenced so much by Hollywood. I didn’t
realize until I was in my forties how unconsciously I had often repeated responses of
movie stars I admired in situations that had
nothing to do with my own life. Mainly,
however, my memories of Saturdays at the
movies are nothing but sheer pleasure—for
a few hours of being transported to a more
exciting place than this isolated town in
southwestern Missouri.
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The Town Courier
March 18, 2016 Page 15
firstperson
Angels on Venus and Mars
I
don’t know how things
go in your house, but
here at Chez Stiles
there is an American
Gladiator-style battle for
the remote every night.
The struggle to find balance between BRAVO
and ESPN is real, people.
By Maureen
This tug-of-war was
Stiles
playing out one Wednesday evening when my husband announced
…
“Here, this show is perfect for both of us.”
The show he was referring to?
“The Victoria’s Secret Swimsuit Special.”
You know, the show where CBS and VS
try to convince us that swimsuit models are
misunderstood. A full hour devoted to the
thesis that these genetic over-achievers are
simply regular ol’ gals just like me.
The only gift in that moment was that I
wasn’t actually holding a cookie or a bowl of
ice cream when he turned it on.
In the 20 minutes I allowed myself to be
tortured with this nonsense, it was riveting—entertaining in a science fiction sort of
way. If you totally suspended disbelief, like
when you’re reading the “Twilight” series,
the theory that these were just normal wom-
per. Good old VS makes sure to let us know
that Jasmine was a gymnast on track for the
Olympics, making her the most limber Angel ever.
I know I could never be friends with Jasmine. God decided to make her insanely
athletic and gorgeous enough to be a supermodel as a solid Plan B.
It’s nighttime on Angel Island (formerly
known as St. Barts) and instead of actually eating dinner, the models all dance to
Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato. If swinging
your hair and taking on and off sunglasses
is dancing, then these girls have mad skills.
It was like a flesh-packed, Daisy Dukes
version of “Dancing with the Stars.” Oddly,
no one shouted “I loooove this song” or had
any ‘80s moves at all like me and my friends.
I was begging for the Military Channel,
which signals DefCon1 here.
In the only slight touch of reality, two of
the Angels got lost in the lush, mountainous
landscape. Gasp!!
Directionally challenged myself, I nodded
in solidarity. Finally some common ground!
My husband even relaxed his poker face,
momentarily thinking it was safe to show
the joy he was experiencing. Well, maybe
not joy but something warm and wonderful
anyway.
But wait, the pair finds a random straw hat
on the side of the mountain. Not only is it
in perfect condition, but when they plop it
on, it fits to a tee. If I got myself off course,
I would be forced to choose a dirty, scuffed
hat with holes and a real threat of lice in order to protect my head from the searing sun.
And it would likely be three sizes too
small.
In between selfies, we saw long-range
shots of the girls “lost” amid the cliffs and
sweeping ocean views. I‘ve never actually
been lost with a camera crew, but I’m thinking it takes some of the panic out of the situation.
Speaking of panic, I am starting to act
like a caged animal in my own living room.
I finally dive for the remote as the chirpy
voiceovers begin. I can’t listen to them prattle on about how they all get along and how
amazing this experience is because they can
share it, together.
I.just.can’t.
I watched these girls run along the beach
in skimpy clothes with not one jiggle in
sight. I get it … really … life is good.
And thankfully, my life returns to normal
as my husband picks up the remote and selects Sports Center. Right now, he won’t get
any arguments from me.
job. The point of the film becomes clearer
and clearer as Kim realizes she has to choose
between the adrenalin rush of combat coverage (and the rough lifestyle it demands), and a
more solid career path.
The film, indeed, is a study of values, and
it becomes clear that Kim is the winner in
that competition. A concluding scene with a
young Marine who lost his legs in Iraq and is
being reassigned after an interview with Kim
is extremely effective. It brings home Kim’s
value choices and garners our acceptance of
them.
There are laughs, as one would expect from
Fey as producer, but they are laughs of the
battlefield. Expecting laughter, I was pleased
to find a much more rewarding experience
from this cast, led by Fey’s touching performance.
Robbie is outstanding, Alfred Molina is
wonderful as a corrupt politician in Kabul,
and Freeman moving as the rootless Scotsman. Thornton is sympathetic and Christopher Abbott very effective as Fey’s guard and
driver in Kabul, Fahim Ahmadzai. Go ahead
and laugh, but let your heart participate as
well. This is wonderful moviemaking.
fox. A cynic who believes, along with everybody else, that Judy is too innocent and
small to be what she wants to be—Zootopia’s
best cop—Wilde and his son cheat her out of
whatever they want while calling her “Carrots.” In trouble with a misogynistic police
leader, Chief Bogo (Idris Elba), Judy is given
two days to locate the missing otter, Everett
Otterton. This is accomplished in due time by
the two innocents, but not before car chases
and narrow escapes by “Sly Fox and Dumb
Bunny” as they’re dubbed by yet another fox.
Along the way they meet a number of
strange characters, led by Tommy Chong as a
stoned pot dealer and host of a Zen club, Yax.
One of the funniest characters in the film is
the sloth, Flash (Raymond Persi), whose appropriately largo delivery takes long moments
but adds up the laughs in his one long scene.
Much of the humor comes from the difference in size between the animals; the scene
in which Judy and Nick trample through a
mouse community is filled with laughter and
peril. Parents laughed the loudest, but the kids
certainly enjoyed the nonsense and the message of change with persistence is duly delivered.
Zootopia (PG) ****
London Has Fallen (R) ****
Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman head
a versatile cast of voicers in a Pixar-animated
look at the inner workings of Zootopia. This
is an ideal community where all animals are
more or less equal except, in this case, predators are getting a bad name. They are going
berserk and attacking prey, which they never do in Zootopia. The latest recruit to the
ZPD, Judy Hopps, a rabbit, is determined to
find out what’s going on. She is reluctantly
but ably assisted by Nick Wilde, a con-man
You may think you’ve seen this before, but
for a change it is London that is getting destroyed by terrorists. An odd mix of Middle
Eastern types and white bread British types
(actually Bulgarians and other Eastern European stuntmen) churn the plot, which is fantastic as are most of these international blow‘em-up films, but there is little time wasted in
spending thousands of rounds of ammunition
blowing things up.
Gerard Butler, as aging Secret Service
agent Mike Bannister, says good-bye to his
pregnant wife (Radha Mitchell) and heads for
London with President Asher (Aaron Eckhart). Not long after most of the heads of state
of the world have gathered for the funeral of
the British Prime Minister, all hell breaks
loose. Before the real action starts, there are
several clever presentiments of damage to
come and it arrives in a hurry. Attacks in various parts of London start the destruction of
the city, and several chief executives leave the
cast permanently as a result.
The orchestrator of the attacks is Aamir
Barkawi (Alon Aboutboul), a generic Middle Easterner trying to exact revenge on the
West for scores of offenses. And orchestrate
he does! The cast of assassins is seemingly
endless, and plenty numerous enough to keep
Banning and his intrepid POTUS in arms
with ammunition to the end.
The sublot involves finding out who the
mole is in MI-6, even though it doesn’t really
make much difference. Elsa Mollien is attractive as the chief detective in MI-6, and it is
her job to find and eliminate the mole. The
big shock of the film is the demotion from
POTUS to VPOTUS for Morgan Freeman.
Since the POTUS is a hostage for much of
the film, Freeman has plenty of time to be
efficient and commanding.
There are the usual disappointing clichés of
such movies: a dying aide says to Banning,
“You gotta see your kid,” and others of that
ilk. The ending is so thickly patriotic and
self-serving that it feels cheap, but by then
the amount of lead expended in the shooting
scenes has overwhelmed your sensibilities and
you might as well just give in and let it pass.
en seemed sort of plausible.
Like UFOs.
In reality, they are called “Angels” for
their ethereal quality and my husband needed no effort—he was in.
The models are like giggly giraffes craning their abnormally long legs and necks toward the sun. Soak up that Vitamin D, girls,
it has no calories.
They are a pretty active bunch despite
the handicap of minimal fabric. Running
through the surf and sand, lying in the surf,
lying on the sand and climbing on rocks.
This series of shots is the first indicator that
we have nothing in common. Not one of
these gals is tugging down her suit bottom
while bending over the open cooler trying
to decipher the turkey sandwich from the
peanut butter one.
Oh yeah, me and the Angels, birds of a
feather.
One glance at my husband and I know
that this is the heaven he pictures when his
final ticket is punched. I think I might hate
him right now.
Jasmine is now balancing herself between
the pillars of a stone arch. Her silhouetted
frame is suspended there as she waves her
arms around like Mr. Miyagi demonstrating precision moves to his little grasshop-
MIKEAT THE MOVIES
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (R) *****
Tina Fey is incredible.
One of the funniest women alive, she is capable of
much more as she proves
once again in this film. Her
compatriot from Australia,
Margot Robbie as reporter
Tanya Vanderpoel (“If I’m
By Mike
an 8 in Kabul, what are
Cuthbert
you?” “About a 15.”), vies
with her for reporting assignments, and the inexperienced Kim Barker
(Fey) has a tough road ahead. Robbie is a star
and all the men are wild for her—her Australian heritage and blond hair don’t hurt—but
Barker doesn’t care. She has a boyfriend back
in New York (Josh Charles as Chris)—well,
at least until she FaceTimes him and sees a
naked woman sneak to the bathroom behind
him. That frees her to fully participate in the
sexual adventures in Kabul (“Ka-bubble”) in
which no feelings are assumed to be real and
no relations permanent.
She soon hooks up with a Scottish reporter,
Iain (Martin Freeman) who has a more realistic attitude toward the war they both are covering and, eventually, relationships in “Kabubble.” Meanwhile, Billy Bob Thornton as
the cynical but sympathetic General Hollanek
warns her of the “10-4-10” syndrome: “A ‘4’
in New York, you’ll be a ‘10’ here until you
go back again.” He also aids and abets her attempts to cover the confusing war until she
gets him into trouble with too many adventures that result in excellent stories.
As her editors in New York cool to the
close coverage because nobody cares any
more, Tanya gets lucky, gets footage of an
IED attack and soon is interviewing for Kim’s
Enjoy more of Mike’s reviews at www.
towncourier.com
Page 16
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016
Sports
Photo | Mac Kennedy
Coach Chris Campbell looks on as the Lady Cougars battle Clarksburg in their season-ending sectional semifinal game.
Lady Cougars Pleased With 15-9 Season, Best in Eight Years
By Syl Sobel
T
he Quince Orchard girls’ basketball
team finished their most successful
season in eight years with a 15-9 record. With all but two players returning
next year, the team has a promising future
for the next few seasons to come.
“This team has grown a lot in two years,”
said a “pleased” head coach Chris Campbell. “We beat some really good teams.”
The Lady Cougars won eight of their final 10 games, including an impressive 7446 victory over Einstein in the first round
of the playoffs, before running into a buzzsaw in the sectional semifinals and losing
to Clarksburg, 70-30. Clarksburg broke
the game open with a devastating second
quarter. They won the section but lost in
the regional finals to the eventual state
champion, Whitman.
The Clarksburg game was a surprising
breakdown for the Lady Cougars, especially since they had beaten the Coyotes
by two points only two weeks earlier and
were playing with confidence entering the
playoffs as the number two seed in the region.
Campbell said that Clarksburg’s switch
to a 1-3-1 zone in the first quarter stymied
QO, especially because they had lost a lot
of practices late in the season due to snow
and did not have much practice against that
kind of zone. “We’d been a fairly good
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zone offensive team all year,” Campbell
said, but “we had not worked against a 1-31 in a long time.” QO missed some shots
against the zone, started forcing passes,
turned the ball over, and the game “just
kind of snowballed.”
The Lady Cougars are still young, as
their top player, guard Jordan Odom, was
one of two sophomores in the starting lineup, and one of the top reserves was a freshman. QO will lose seniors Emily Baumgartner (6.6 points per game) and Taylor
Wilson (4.7) to graduation, but the team
has a strong nucleus of juniors coming back
for their senior seasons, including center
Danni Lehner, who is developing into a
strong inside presence.
Odom built on her impressive freshman
season and again led QO in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game. She is a dynamic player with the ability to drive inside almost at will and uses an unorthodox
style to show surprising accuracy from long
range.
“Other coaches were constantly telling
me how much she’s improved,” Campbell
said of Odom. “She does a great job attacking.” He noted that Odom learned this
season when to stop her drive and dish off
to a teammate or pull up for a short shot
and when to drive all the way through. He
would like to see her improve as a ballhandler and become a more consistent
three-point shooter, as well as to generally
evolve as a player. “There are so many nuances to the game, and Jordan is learning to
understand those nuances.”
Lehner averaged 6.3 points per game and
was the team’s leading rebounder. “Danni
showed tremendous growth in so many
areas,” Campbell said. She was one of the
team’s two captains and “really was the vocal leader on the floor.” The coach praised
Lehner’s rebounding and her ability to distribute the ball from the post and said she is
becoming “an impact player for us.”
Sophomore Maggie Regan is a reliable
outside shooter and scrappy player whose
confidence grew as the season evolved. Sisters Giulia and Alexa Sanmartin are complementary players, with Giulia the team’s
leading three-point shooter with 28 treys
and Alexa a slasher and tough defender.
Amanda Bishop is a tenacious athlete, a relentless defender and active presence on offense, and freshman Teresa Shelton showed
talent during her playing opportunities and
will be looked upon to complement Odom
in the backcourt.
Injuries hampered QO all season, and
they lost two players for most of the campaign, both of whom are expected back
next year.
“We should be able to continue to build
on what we’ve had,” Campbell predicted,
adding that he would like to see his players,
with another year of experience behind
them, continue to improve their individual
and team skills and their understanding of
the game. “Everybody needs to become
the best player they can be,” he said.
March 18, 2016 ■ williams
from page 1
waved from center court with his family
and university officials around him.
In presenting a certificate of recognition
to Williams, Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman said, “This recognition is our way of
welcoming you back to the community
and letting you know how much we’re all
rooting for you in your recovery.”
The presentation had a special meaning for Ashman, a neighbor of the Williams family, who acknowledged that he
had probably seen all of Williams’ games
at QO.
“I see Ty’s father, Terry, in the neighborhood all the time, and that has given
me an additional vantage point to see what
an enormous toll this has taken on their
family,” Ashman told The Town Courier.
“What strikes me about this situation is
how lonely this struggle will be for (Tyrell).
It comes down to one young man and his
will struggling against the limitations of
his own body. To the degree that we, as a
community in our collective support, can
offer Tyrell any solace or inspiration at all
in this difficult, lonely struggle, it makes
me happy to do so. This is a young man
who grew up in our community and who
The Town Courier
gave us a lot of joy on the football field. I
strongly believe that one of the things that
defines a ‘community’ ... is its ability to
come together and be there for each other
when we’re down and times are dark.”
“It’s hard,” Williams told the full chamber at City Council when he took the microphone to thank the community. “I can
just smile along each day, but it gets really
hard. Just knowing I have everybody’s support here, it makes all the difference.”
Williams spent several months in a rehabilitation facility in Atlanta that specializes
in treatment for neck and spinal cord injuries, returned to Gaithersburg in December, and is back in classes at Georgetown
this semester. He is living in accessible
housing on campus and continuing to do
physical therapy to strengthen his body to
prepare to walk again, which doctors have
told him is possible.
“It’s nice to have some normalcy back
in my life,” Williams said of his return
to Georgetown. “Just getting back in the
swing of things, seeing all my friends
again.” He said he is “getting better each
day.”
His mother, Melissa Rand, said after the
Gaithersburg ceremony that she and her
family are “thankful. This is something
very nice, and we’re very appreciative of
Page 17
Photo | Mac Kennedy
At the Hoyas’ last home basketball game of the season, a Verizon Center crowd of more than 10,000 fans gave Tyrell Williams a standing ovation.
what the community’s done. The support
meant a lot. It motivated him. It kept us
positive, just knowing that everybody was
there.”
“We understand that it’s going to be a
long, difficult road,” Ashman said in his
remarks. “Just know that you have a lot of
people in this community who are ready
to be the wind at your sails. Your community’s behind you and we hope that knowing that will help when times are tough
and you are looking for inspiration because
your journey toward walking again will be
an inspiration to us.”
Advertise your business
in the NEXT ISSUE and
Get RESULTS!
Meet Debi Rosen,
The Gaithersburg Town Courier’s
Advertising Manager.
Photo | Mac Kennedy
Teams competed before a large crowd during the 10th Annual Lakelands Park Middle School Basketball Night tournament
on Friday, March 11.
■ basketball night
from page 1
rest of the year as well.
“Look at the turnout,” LPMS paraeducator Jerry Denney said. “It’s a great activity for the kids to do on a Friday night.
It’s positive.” Excited about coaching his
way to a third straight championship Friday night, Denney noted the overall enjoyment the kids got out of the tournament.
Players put together teams of friends
and classmates in their grade. There is a
three LPMS basketball player limit for each
team, explained Vicki Mostrom, chair of
the event. Each team was coached by a
faculty member, a parent, or a couple of
enthusiastic LPMS alumni reliving their
glory days.
Team names and uniforms were some of
the highlights of the tournament. Teams
like Bikini Bottom Ballers, Moisturizers,
Chef Curry, Harris Teeter Paninis, and
Avocados from Mexico took to the court
wearing t-shirts full of colors, markers,
paint and even a chef hat that remained on
a player’s head during the entire tournament.
Games were played every 12 minutes
with two four-minute quarters. After 13
games, each grade entered a short playoff
to determine a champion. There were
overtimes, a half-court shot, and even a
dunk by one of the eighth graders.
At the end of the night, the MD Ballers
topped Team Savage for the sixth grade
championship, the Moisturizers beat the
Goats for the seventh grade championship,
and the Bikini Bottom Ballers finished
off Dreamville for the final eighth grade
championship. This event is a tremendous
tradition at LPMS. Judging by the packed
gym, the LPMS Basketball Night will continue to be an exciting event for years to
come.
With 25+ years in the advertising
business, Debi knows the local business
beat better than anyone in town. It
doesn’t matter if your company is small
or large, results matter in this tough
economic climate. With a keen eye for
detail and personal attention, Debi is
your source for making your business
known to our loyal readers.
About The Town Courier:
• Direct mail delivery to 7,500 homes plus
rack distribution in high traffic locations
throughout Gaithersburg.
• Dedicated and loyal readers, giving each
edition long shelf life.
• Unmatched local coverage of news that
matters to Gaithersburg families.
• The Gaithersburg Town Courier is
delivered to homes and businesses in
Kentlands, Lakelands, Quince Orchard
Park, The Orchards, Orchard Hills and
Washingtonian Woods
Debi Rosen
301.455.5721
ads@towncourier.com
Page 18
The Town Courier
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The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county
records and the Multiple Listing Service and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed
to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Real estate agents
affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor agents and are not employees
of the Company. ©2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC
fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Operated by a subsidiary of
NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker, the Coldwell Banker logo, Coldwell Banker Previews International and the Previews
logo are registered and unregistered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. 11467MA_11/15
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March 18, 2016 The Town Courier
Page 19
Page 20
The Town Courier
March 18, 2016
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