MoCo To Add MacArthur Boulevard Bike Path
Construction on a new bikeway along MacArthur Boulevard from the Beltway to just past Glen Echo Park will begin this month, according to Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center director Ken Hartman.
The 2.61-mile, 8-foot-wide shared use bike path along the south side of MacArthur Boulevard will run from the Beltway to Oberlin Avenue and should take a year to build.
Lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. will happen during the duration of the project, which will also include road resurfacing, the installation of retaining walls, driveways, underpass lighting, landscaping and a new storm drain system. The Department of Transportation’s March memo on the project has all the details.
Construction will happen on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. with occasional Saturday work in case of weather delays. Alternative pedestrian routes will be provided when any existing routes are closed because of construction. For more information, email mcdot.dte.construction@montgomerycountymd.gov or call 240-777-7220.
Photo via Google Maps
Morning Notes
O’Malley Introduces Gas Tax Hike For Transportation Funding — Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), with the support of House Speaker Michael Busch (D) and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D), last night introduced a transportation funding plan that would raise the sales tax of wholesale gas, thus raising gas prices an estimated 2 cents per gallon starting in July and an additional 7 cents more next July. Leaders argued the money was necessary to match federal funding for the Purple Line. [Washington Post] [Baltimore Sun] [Washington Examiner]
Pepco Says It’s Ready For Snow — The power company said it has more than 450 overhead line contractors ready to deal with the three to eight inches of snow projected for the inner D.C. suburbs and the as much as 17 inches projected for western areas of Montgomery County. Pepco is also asking for 250 mutual assistance crews from other utilities and says it has almost 300 tree contractors already working. [Pepco]
MoCo Examining Intersection After Accident With Bethesda Elementary Student — County transportation officials are focusing on the intersection of Arlington Road and Edgemoor Lane, near Bethesda Elementary School, after a student-involved pedestrian collision there last week. The student wasn’t injured, according to police. There were few details on the nature of the collision. [Bethesda Patch]
Glen Echo Popcorn Gallery To Feature Pottery — From April 6 to May 5, Glen Echo Park’s Popcorn Gallery will feature “2013: From the Fire,” an exhibition of pottery work from Glen Echo art instructors and advanced students. The gallery (7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo) is open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. and by special arrangement.
Flickr photo by ehpien
Open House On MacArthur Boulevard Bike Trail Tonight
The National Park Service will hold an open house tonight to discuss its preference for creating a new bike and walking path along MacArthur Boulevard.
The agency has been working with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation since 2005 to find a way around narowing the shoulder of MacArthur Boulevard near Goldsboro Road.
Tonight, they’ll propose an option that shifts 800 feet of the path on to the Cabin John Trolley Right of Way on the grounds of the Glen Echo Park and Clara Barton National Historic Site.
NPS officials will present the Environmental Assessment of that option and take comments from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Spanish Ballroom of Glen Echo Park (7300 MacArthur Blvd.).
The document detailing the plan can be found here.
Image via National Park Service
Glen Echo Hosting Swing Dance Inaugural Ball
A group of local swing dance enthusiasts is bringing its own inaugural ball to Glen Echo Park’s Spanish Ballroom on Saturday night.
American Swing is hosting the “I Don’t Have a Super-PAC to Buy Me a Ticket to an Inaugural Ball” Ball with band Eight to the Bar from 9 p.m. to midnight at the Park (7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo). The group will put on an hour-long swing dance lesson at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for kids age 11 to 17, and $10 for kids age 10 and younger.
For more information, email Debra@gottaswing.com.
Flickr photo by PedroGringo
Glen Echo Blanket and Toy Drives
The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Cultures is joining up with some area organizations for a holiday toy drive and blanket drive.
The toy drive, in collaboration with the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church, ends today. Unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the Glen Echo Park office (7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo) on the second floor of the Arcade Building and wil go to children at the Anacostia Comunity Center.
The Partnership and the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rotary are collecting blankets for the needy. Donations will be accepted through next week.
Glen Echo will hold its annual winter holiday celebration tomorrow from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. More details on that event here.
Flickr photo by ricepeter
Glen Echo Plans Big Holiday Event
Live music, an art show, free family portraits and a hot chocolate bar are in store for visitors to Glen Echo’s Park Winter’s Eve event on Saturday, Dec. 15.
The annual holiday celebration, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., includes a wide range of activities and incorporates the Park’s resident artists, whose studios and galleries will be open to the public.
The Photoworks Studio will be doing free holiday portrait shoots for any lingering Christmas card needs. Sign up should be done in advance.
Glen Echo Glassworks will be offering lessons in the art of glassblowing for anybody interested in making their own ornament. The cost is $35 and includes the ornament and refreshments.
The Park (7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo) is also opening its Holiday Art Show until 11 p.m. in the Popcorn Gallery. Many of the works, photos, glasswork and jewelry included, are for sale.
Student ensembles from the Park’s Adventure Theatre will perform, along with the American University Jazz Ensemble.
For more information on the event and on how to sign up for some of the activities, visit Glen Echo Park’s website.
Photo via Glen Echo Park
Glen Echo Glassworks On Display
About 150 guests checked out a new exhibit of hand-blown art glass during an artists reception on Saturday at Glen Echo Park.
The “Perspectives in Glass,” show opened on Oct. 6 and will run through Oct. 28 in Glen Echo Park’s Popcorn Gallery (7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo).
It features works by resident artist Paul Swartwood with Mark Hill and Carol Hurwitch, shown creating her signature “ball gowns” in the video above.
The gallery is open on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. and at other times by appointment.
For more information, visit the exhibit website.
Glen Echo Park Partnership Announces Oct. Schedule
The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture has announced its October schedule of events, including its annual Fall Frolic Halloween festival.
On Saturday, Oct. 27, the Fall Frolic will feature pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treating and a costume parade around Glen Echo Park from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The rest of the October schedule is after the jump.
Special Events This Labor Day Weekend
This Labor Day weekend will feature a number of special events around the Bethesda area, including the Town of Kensington’s 45th Annual Labor Day Parade & Festival and art shows at Glen Echo Park and Bethesda Urban Partnership’s downtown gallery.
The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards — Finalists in the running for this year’s Trawick Prize will be featured in Gallery B (7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E) starting Saturday, Sept. 1. The winners will be named Sept. 5. Admission is free. For more information, visit BUP’s website.
42nd Annual Labor Day Art Show at Glen Echo Park — The three-day exhibition and sale in Glen Echo’s historic Spanish Ballroom will begin Saturday at noon and run all three days from noon until 6 p.m. A reception, open to the public, will be tomorrow (Friday) at 7 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit the Art Show website.
Glen Echo Park Irish Music & Dance Showcase — Glen Echo Park will also host an Irish Music & Dance Showcase to go along with the art show on Saturday and Monday, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Bumper Car Pavilion. Admission is free.
Bake Bethesda a Pie Contest — Central Farm Markets will put on a judged pie-baking contest at its Bethesda location on Sunday, starting at 11 a.m. at its regular spot, Bethesda Elementary School (7600 Arlington Rd.). Observers are invited to watch the judging and try some of the pies after the contest. For more information, visit Central Farm Market’s website.
Town of Kensington Labor Day Parade — Kensington’s 45th Annual Labor Day Parade & Festival will kick off at 10 a.m., starting at Plyers Mill Road and St. Paul Street toward the grandstand at Kensington Parkway.
Flickr photo by johnhane
Glen Echo Labor Day Art Show Anticipating Big Turnout
The Labor Day Art Show at Glen Echo Park (7300 MacArthur Blvd.) had to stop accepting entries a few days ahead of schedule last week.
The 42nd Annual show, which will run from Sept. 1 to Sept. 3 from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the park’s historic Spanish Ballroom, received 550 pieces from more than 250 artists.
It’s one of the Glen Echo Park Partnership’s biggest yearly events, drawing around 9,000 over the weekend, according to the Partnership’s Jenni Cloud.
All types of art will be on display and admission is free. The sculptures, ceramics, paintings and photography in the show is for sale through the Glen Echo Park Partnership, the nonprofit that organizes Glen Echo events and maintains the former amusement park’s historic structures.
For more information, visit the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture website.
Morning Notes
Crime down in Bethesda, Chevy Chase police district — Despite a rash of June auto thefts, crime is down overall in the first six months of 2012 compared to the same period of time in 2011, according to the Montgomery County Police Department’s second district. [Chevy Chase Patch]
State gambling bill comes down to the wire — A referendum on whether to allow a new Prince George’s County casino and live table games at Maryland’s other slots facilities will be on the ballot in November, but not before the bill authorizing the vote barely passed the State House on Tuesday night. Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) signed the bill on Wednesday morning. [Washington Post]
Montgomery Parks puts out fall recreation guide — Montgomery County Recreation and Montgomery Parks released a long list of activities and classes for county residents coming up this fall. [Montgomery Parks]
Flickr pool photo by artescienza
