We associate this Upcounty favorite with summer outdoor fun–but that’s not what the lake’s creators had in mind when it was built.
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) will be conducting Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) training in Gaithersburg/Up-county area throughout on the evening of Wednesday, March 13th.
Kayla DiCello, a 2022 graduate of Northwest High School in Germantown and Boyds resident, took the Winter Cup women’s all-around title on Saturday, posting a 56.850, ahead of Skye Blakely (54.650) and Hezly Rivera (54.000).
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the report of downed electrical wires on a home in the 15000blk of Clopper Rd in Boyds, MD on Thursday, February 22.
Montgomery County Park Police and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a call for a lost hiker around 6pm on Thursday, December 28 in Boyds.
Update: Per MCFRS Spokesperson Pete Piringer: “Park Police UTV & UTV731 located hiker at 7pm. 1 adult being assisted back to roadway/staging, MCFRS EMS evaluating for possible transport before releasing.”
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a single vehicle collision in the 15800blk of Barnesville Rd, between Sugar Ridge Ter and Bucklodge Rd in Boyds on Wednesday, December 6 around 9:30pm. (more…)
A collision with rollover that occurred Friday night on southbound I-270 between Rt121 and Rt27 has closed all lanes after Clarksburg Rd. The Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security (OEMHS) tweeted the following at 8:45: “Traffic incident closes SB I-270 after Clarksburg Rd (MD121). Expect significant delays and seek alternate route.”
We will provide an update when additional information becomes available. Featured image courtesy of @crystalyu_ on Instagram.
SB I270 between Rt121 and Rt27, collision with rollover
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) September 30, 2023
Fall is here and the colors around us are about to change. Whether it’s the taste of a warm pumpkin-flavored latte, the cool breeze of a crisp fall morning, weekends full of football, or the yellow glow of the sun on a tall birch tree, autumn is often a contender for MoCo residents’ favorite season (however short it may be). Many locals are looking forward to combining all the best parts of fall and enjoying the foliage outdoors, so we’ve put together a small list of 11 where you can enjoy the foliage across the county:
Agricultural Reserve: A drive through the rural areas that the 93,000 acre Agricultural Reserve encompasses, along with the larger rural communities of Damascus and Poolesville and small crossroad communities such as Beallsville, Sunshine and Dickerson, are sure to give you your fill of fall foliage.
Black Hill Regional Park (Boyds): With over 2,000 acres of land for outdoor recreation and family gatherings, you can enjoy spectacular views of the foliage and Little Seneca Lake.
Agricultural History Farm Park (Derwood): You can find fall changes beyond foliage at Agricultural History Farm Park. The fields are golden brown and ready for harvest. Dahlias are in bloom next door in the Montgomery County Master Naturalists’ gardens. And, there are glints of red on a maple tree.
Rock Creek Regional Park (Derwood): Lake Bernard Frank at Rock Creek Regional Park is a beautiful spot for quiet and solitude right now. Pack in a chair or find a log and take in the crisp air and seasonal scenery. Yellow leaves are saturated at sunset.
Seneca Creek State Park (Gaithersburg): Th3 6,300 acre park extends along 14 scenic miles of Seneca Creek, all the way to the Potomac River. Clopper Lake offers boating and fishing, as well as trails for hiking, cycling and horseback riding. A 16.5 mile hike down Seneca Creek Greenway Trail follows the entire course of the creek.
Cabin John Regional Park (Potomac): Look high and low on the trails near Locust Grove Nature Center at Cabin John Regional Park for autumn color.
Great Falls Park (Potomac): Foliage and the Potomac River? Count us in. You can catch a little of everything at Great Falls this time of year.
Maydale Conservation Park (Silver Spring): In the eastern part of Montgomery County, there are hints of fall. Dabs of yellow are beginning to show on trees around the pond at Maydale Conservation Park.
Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park (Silver Spring): Crunch your way along Sligo Creek Trail. The paved path is covered in brown and yellow leaves which collect and disperse with the wind. The canopy is punctuated with hints of yellow and orange.
Brookside Gardens (Wheaton): Montgomery County’s incomparable, award-winning 50-acre public display garden within Wheaton Regional Park has plenty of foliage for visitors to take in.
Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard (Dickerson): While the mountain itself is in Frederick County, the vineyard is in Montgomery County with amazing views of the surrounding area (as seen in our featured photo). As of press time the mountain is closed to the public, but you can still enjoy the view nearby.
Featured photo courtesy of @dronifyDMV
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to the 13500 blk of W. Old Baltimore Rd, near Lake Ridge Dr in Boyds for the report of a fallen tree on a vehicle. According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the person that was driving vehicle is out and there were no serious injuries.
W. Old Baltimore Rd is blocked between Lake Ridge Dr and Broadway Ave. We will provide an update if additional information becomes available.
W Old Baltimore Rd. near Black Hill regional Park entrance, tree down onto a vehicle, road blocked pic.twitter.com/8spCBDe6uy
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) September 24, 2023
Old Glory DC is the first professional rugby team based in the Washington metropolitan area and this year it’ll be playing its home games right here in Montgomery County. Old Glory DC competes in Major League Rugby (MLR), a professional rugby union league competing in its sixth season in 2023, representing North America’s highest level of rugby competition. Since its inaugural season in 2018, MLR has grown from seven to 13 teams, featuring 12 from the United States and one from Canada.
Per the team: Old Glory DC is excited to announce that all 2024 home regular season and playoff matches will be played at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Germantown, MD. Entering its sixth season and following an exceptional Championship Series playoff berth and a first-ever Eastern Conference Championship appearance, Old Glory aims to continue its success with rugby fans, supporters, and sponsors throughout the DMV region.
Old Glory DC matches will be played at Maureen Hendrick’s Field at Championship Stadium; sporting a natural, high-use Bermuda grass pitch. The bowl-like stadium design features fixed seating for 3,200 fans and a large, grassy berm for general admission seating. The move to the Maryland SoccerPlex provides easy access for Old Glory fans throughout The District, Maryland, and NOVA.
Old Glory DC fans can also enjoy a new Beer Garden, improved food & beverage concessions, and more expansive concourse areas directly connected with views of the field of play. “If you happened to catch the Collegiate Rugby Championship this past spring, you know the Soccerplex has really stepped up its ability to present the unique game of rugby in a top quality environment,” said Old Glory Chairman Chris Dunlavey. “The venue offers a vibe that really taps into the rugby community’s culture and spirit. We look forward to providing Old Glory fans with this engaging environment once again.”
“We are excited at the SoccerPlex to be the new home of Old Glory DC. We plan to be the best facility in Major League Rugby,” said Matt Libber, Executive Director Maryland Soccer Foundation and Maryland SoccerPlex. “Bringing the highest level of rugby in the US to Maryland raises the profile of professional sports in the State. This is also another step to show the world that we are more than a soccer facility.”
Frequently Asked Questions can be seen below:
Where will Old Glory DC play in 2024?
Old Glory will play its home games for the 2024 MLR regular season in the Championship Stadium at the Maryland Soccerplex, located at 18031 Central Park Circle in Boyds, MD. The venue offers a full-sized rugby pitch, includes 3,200 fixed seats (plus a variety of group seating and standing room spaces), and has recently been improved to accommodate the play of professional quality rugby. In April of this year, the Soccerplex hosted the NCR Collegiate Rugby Championship, to broad acclaim from the rugby community, and the venue is contracted to host the CRCs for the next two years. For more information on the Soccerplex, see HERE.
Why is Old Glory moving to a different venue now? Old Glory is embarked upon what we expect to be an unending mission to grow the game of rugby in the DMV, including delivering the best possible professional game accommodations for our players, partners, and fans. This mission obliges us to listen to our fans and constantly search for improvements. While we love the communities of Leesburg and Loudoun County, where we have played for the last three years, the feedback we’ve received from our fan base at large has consistently expressed concerns about venue accessibility and the ability to support certain game elements such as a beer garden or integrated concourse. At the end of the day, you vote with your feet (or your ticket purchases) and we simply have to continue to grow our attendance. The Soccerplex provides us the most immediate opportunity to respond to venue-based fan concerns.
Is the Soccerplex the same distance outside of DC? Close — we admit it. Depending on how you play with Mapquest and what starting points you use, the Soccerplex is only around 5 miles closer to DC. We agree that’s not much. However, our research indicates that the Soccerplex may well be more accessible to a broader percentage of our fan base than our current venue, particularly when considering the lack of such obstacles as access via a toll road. We are acutely sensitive to the fact that a number of our best, most loyal fans travel from as far south as Norfolk / Virginia Beach to our games, but we also observe that others regularly travel to us from Pennsylvania or beyond. Overall, the Soccerplex will give you, the Old Glory fan, an improved game-day experience.
Is there a long term plan for Old Glory to play in The District? We have stated in the past and will state again: Old Glory belongs in Washington, DC, our namesake and the place where our team was born. Through our history and continuing today, we have worked to identify opportunities to play in an appropriately-sized venue that properly presents the game of rugby within the District, or at least at a Metro-accessible location inside the Beltway. The obvious catch is that such a venue does not exist today, considering factors such as the attendance we draw, the resulting economics of our sport, the facility standards set by MLR for field quality and broadcast visuals, and others. We pledge that a return to the center of our region remains a core element of our mission and our business plan, that we are working to achieve it at the soonest possible date, and that we will not rest in this effort until successful.
How long will Old Glory play at the Soccerplex? Old Glory will play at the Soccerplex under a 1-year license agreement in 2024. This one-year term suits the planning horizons of both the Soccerplex and Old Glory, and we will evaluate possible extensions or next steps as 2024 unfolds.
Does the Soccerplex offer any unique advantages for the game of rugby? The biggest advantage is that the field of play, Maureen Hendrick’s Field at Championship Stadium, is a natural, Bermuda grass pitch with excellent drainage, proper dimensions for rugby, and the right lighting for night games – thus offering the safest playing experience for the players themselves.
What benefits can the fans look forward to at the Soccerplex? We’ll share details of our 2024 game presentation plans over the coming weeks and months; however, some key opportunities to note today include: unlike our current venue, Old Glory will control food and beverage choices for our games at the Soccerplex, allowing us to be more responsive to fan input and preferences; we will have space enabling us to envision the return of a ‘beer garden’ experience similar to the one at Catholic U; Old Glory will have responsibility of enforcement of tailgating policy; we will have control over our ticketing system choices, enabling us to provide “in & out” access for our fans; and finally, we think you’ll agree with us that the Championship Stadium layout, which provides an open concourse with 360 degree connectivity to views of the field, a variety of bleacher and chair-back seating, and grassy berms where we can sell “standing room” or picnicking tickets, is simply a great place to embrace rugby culture. We can’t wait to host you there.