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Vol. 13, No. 17 September 2, 2016www.towncourier.com

COURIERTHETOWN

Gaithersburg’s Hometown Newspaper | Serving Kentlands, Lakelands, Quince Orchard Park and More

n YOGA BLISS Continued on page 8

n S&T KENTLANDS Continued on page 8

n LIQUOR CONTROL Continued on page 9

Five Years of Yoga Bliss—and Growing

By Ellyn Wexler

Five years after opening her Yoga Bliss studio on Main Street, Sabina Grewal still finds it excit-ing. “I am surprised at how much I still love doing this,” she said. “I’m happy to connect with my students, and I love hearing how yoga has had a positive impact on their lives—how it has helped them feel better or get through hard times in their lives.”

The studio has evolved since Grewal taught her first student on Sept. 1, 2011, and so has she. Personally, that involved teaching through her pregnancy and the post-partum adjustment to life

with her son Deepak, now almost 15 months old. “The community has been so supportive through those challenges,” Grewal said about her students and staff.

At the start, Yoga Bliss had four or five instructors, each of whom taught a class or two attended by “zero or one to two students,” Grewal said. Carole Beaver, who has been at the studio since it opened, remembers loving Gre-wal’s class “even when I was the only student many times in the beginning.”

Now the studio has 15 teachers, including Grewal, plus two expe-

Owners Reveal Details for Property at KCA Board Meeting

By Ellyn Wexler

The owners of the property at the corner of Quince Orchard Road and Great Seneca High-way where the Diya Bistro now resides—along with the team of engineers and architects they have engaged for the residential project they propose to build on the site—made a presentation at the Aug. 24 meeting of the Kent-lands Citizens Assembly (KCA) Board of Trustees.

The owners, Preet Takhar and Dr. Jatinder S. Sekhon, doing business as S&T Kentlands LLC, along with Scott Wolford of Maser Consulting P.A. and Bob

Dunning of Dunning Group Ar-chitects, spoke, showed drawings and responded to comments and questions posed by board mem-bers and some 15 Kentlands res-idents who attended.

S&T Kentlands bought the property at 917 Quince Orchard Road from the owner of Hunt-er’s Inn, and the lot beside it, 913 Quince Orchard Road, from the Colonnade condominiums in 2004. Since then, the prop-erties have been leased to Bos-ton Market, Famous Dave’s, the Kentlands Lodge and now, Diya Bistro. Takhar said that they orig-inally wanted to build an office building on the site, but the mar-

ket is not out there; the area al-ready has a good deal of unrented office space.

The project currently under consideration is a market rate rental apartment community, in-cluding two six-story brick and masonry buildings arranged in a C-shape with 290 to 300 units wrapping around a courtyard with a pool and other recreational amenities and a multistory park-ing garage. It will be 100 per-cent residential and will have no commercial space; the property is currently zoned for mixed use, so rezoning is not a factor.

(L to R, standing) Property owner Preet Takhar and Scott Wolford of Maser Consulting P.A. explain plans for the current Diya Bistro site to the KCA Board and Kentlands residents.

Photo | Mac Kennedy

Call for Liquor Control Reform Prompts Analysis of DLC

By Sharon Allen Gilder

Ongoing issues with the Mont-gomery County Department of Liquor Control (DLC) that im-pact private beer and wine retail-ers and restaurants have prompted the move toward organization-al improvements within DLC. With the call for reform of the county-controlled distribution of alcoholic beverage products, the department is pouring more effort into correcting issues rang-ing from overall warehouse man-agement to inventory control, product fulfillment, the quality of deliveries and price points.

Two senior managers with pri-vate sector experience were hired in 2015. A third manager joined

them in November 2015. A new Communication Center was launched to overhaul DLC’s cus-tomer service operation, resolve problems and eliminate repeti-tive issues. Steps were taken to improve efficiency and accuracy, including increasing turnaround times from sales to delivery to 24 hours, and instituting “emergen-cy” deliveries to licensees from DLC’s warehouse or its retail stores.

While the county is working with a search firm to hire a new DLC director with experience in the private sector, Fariba Kassir is DLC’s acting director. She said a working group, as directed by

Liquor Control has 25 retail stores located throughout the county, including this one in Muddy Branch Square.

Photo | Mac Kennedy

Main Street studio owner Sabina Grewal is celebrating the fifth anniversary of Yoga Bliss.Photo | Mac Kennedy

Page 2 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 3

AROUND TOWN

n GLASS Continued on page 6

Compiled by Pam Schipper

Doggone Good End to the Pool Season

Area pools close on a paw-sitive note this Labor Day weekend. Bring the four-legged member of your fam-ily to your neighborhood pool for these annual dog swims: Kentlands dogs and their owners are invited to the Kentlands pool on Sept. 5, 4 to 6 p.m.; Lakelands dogs and their own-ers are encouraged to splash and play at the Lakelands main pool on Sept. 5, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; and Quince Or-chard Park dogs and their owners are invited to the QOP pool on Sept. 5, 7 to 8 p.m. Only dogs will be allowed in the pools during these times.

Grants Awarded to Neighborhood HOAs

Twenty neighborhood and home-owner associations were awarded a total of $66,165 through the City of Gaithersburg Frederick J. Felton Neighborhood Matching Grant Pro-gram. The program provides an in-centive for neighborhood organiza-tions to improve their communities by awarding matching grants of up to $5,000. The Kentlands Citizens Assembly was awarded $2,500 for fencing and $2,500 for tree plantings; the Kentlands Condominium was awarded $2,000 for landscaping; the Lakelands Community Association was awarded $5,000 for landscaping; Quince Orchard Park Condo I was awarded $4,500 for landscaping; and the Quince Orchard Park HOA was awarded $4,000 for landscaping.

Community Police Academy for Spanish-Speaking Residents Planned

The next Community Police Acad-emy for Spanish-Speaking Residents is scheduled to begin on Thursday, Sept. 8. The classes will be taught in Spanish, and the 15-week academy is free. Classes are held Thursday eve-nings, 7 to 9 p.m., with graduation planned for Dec. 15.

This program is open to individu-als who live or work in Montgomery County and are over 18 years old. Top-ics covered include negotiations con-flict, crime prevention, drug research and driving under the influence. The first class will be held at the Police Academy, 9710 Great Seneca High-way, Rockville. Subsequent classes will be held at the new police acad-emy in Gaithersburg: Multi Agency Service Park, 8751 Snouffer School Road. For more information and to apply, visit www.montgomerycoun-tymd.gov/POL/volunteer/Spanish-SpeakingCommunityAcademy.html.

Glass Is Always Full of InspirationBy Ellyn Wexler

Helene Glass defies the idea that time re-duces creativity or productivity. And the watercolors the vital and prolific octoge-narian paints are not the muted, delicate florals ageists might expect. “People and Places,” the artist’s second exhibit at Fram-er’s Choice Gallery on Main Street, will consist of about 35 watercolors that depict “the world as I see it—and I see it in color,” she declared.

After the frame on one of Glass’ prized pieces broke during her move from Massa-chusetts to Maryland, she engaged Fram-er’s Choice owner Steve Caldwell to repair it. He saw her artwork, learned about her background and offered her the next avail-able spot to show in his shop. Glass’ style caught his attention. “You don’t see a lot of it these days,” Caldwell said, observing that her work is of “excellent quality, not too big or small, mostly traditional scenes with a contemporary flair.”

Glass and her husband of 66 years, Dr. Herbert Glass, relocated to their Kent-lands condominium about 18 months ago to be closer to their family—many of their three children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren reside in the area. The couple came from an idyllic home set on eight acres in the Berkshires of North-ern Massachusetts, where they lived for 35 years after Dr. Glass retired from his pedi-atric practice in Connecticut.

Helene Glass especially misses her gar-dens and the “artist’s dream come true” second-floor studio with seven windows that overlooked a pond and a waterfall, but said she has adjusted to her apartment-sized workplace. She has managed to fit most of

her important furniture, artwork and art books into the reduced space, and its walls are adorned with her paintings and the intricate products of an avid needlework hobby. Her favorite paintings are “Urban Renewal,” a depiction of Manhattan’s state of eternal scaffolding—“I love what it says to me, and the design and color are very good,” and “Taj Mahal,” her rendering of merging visions of the structure at three different times of day.

Among Glass’ proudest achievements is fulfilling her aspiration to become a signa-ture member of the elite American Water-color Society (AWS) in 1996. “It’s what every watercolorist wants,” she said. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1866 to promote the art of watercolor painting in America, accepts only 10 artists a year. Each candidate’s work is judged by a jury of peers; membership is awarded to artists

Watercolor artist Helene Glass works in her home studio. Glass will have an exhibition at Framer’s Choice Gallery on Main Street through September.

Photo | Mac Kennedy

Marraffa Works to Return, Day by Day By Sharon Allen Gilder

Henry Marraffa is anxious to get back to his community and his seat on Gaithersburg’s City Council where he’s served for 22 years. In June 2014 he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a blood disorder that can be a forerunner for leukemia or lymphoma. On Jan. 25, he was diagnosed with leukemia and underwent several rounds of chemotherapy at Suburban Hospital to prepare for a stem cell transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital on June 29. His daughter Dina Rasavage was his donor.

A series of setbacks, or as Marraffa calls them “bumps in the road,” have slowed his path to recovery but he continues to meet the disease with positivity, pragmatism, a sense of purpose, and a sense of humor. In a telephone interview from his hospital bed at Johns Hopkins he said, “Overall I’m getting better, but margin-ally, slowly, very slowly. … There’s always something, but at the same time, I wake up in the morning, I feel good.”

He added, “Everybody thinks things went well. … The stem cell transplant … it’s working the way it’s supposed to work at this moment, but the big issue that you have in this whole transplant process is the follow-up with the antibiotics. You take all the meds hoping you don’t get diseases. …Unfortunately, I’ve had my share of them. … They come and go. … The doctors deal with them and you do the best you can.”

“A small bout of pneumonia,” some adverse drug reactions, and fluid around his heart and lungs landed him in Hopkins’ Critical Care Unit for two weeks at the end of August. “I have a good day and I have a bad day, but you keep moving forward day after day. Now the biggest thing is my oxygen levels that are going out of whack and all the fluids I have throughout my body …that’s what seems to be the biggest problem. … The medications are work-

ing but slow …they finally sort it out and it goes away,” Marraffa reflected.

Henry Marraffa and his wife Donna Jean have spent much of the summer at Johns Hopkins Hospital where Marraffa received a stem cell transplant.

Photo | Sharon Allen Gilder

n MARRAFFA Continued on page 10

Page 4 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

309 Main StreetGaithersburg, MD 20878

For Advertising: 301.279.2304Also on the Web at www.towncourier.com.

©2016 Courier CommunicationsThe Town Courier is an independent newspa-

per 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 Communica-tions, which is responsible for the form, content and policies of the newspaper. The Town Courier does not espouse any political belief or endorse any product or service in its news coverage. Articles and letters submitted for publication must be signed and may be edited for length or content. The Town Courier is not responsible for any claims made by advertisers Letters to the Editor and Commentary do not necessarily re-flect the views of the staff, management or advertisers of The Town Courier.

Pam Schipper Managing Editor

pam@towncourier.com

Debi Rosen Advertising Manager

301.455.5721 ads@towncourier.com

Leslie KennedyAdvertising Sales 301.330.0132

leslie@towncourier.com

Staff Photographers Arthur Cadeaux

Phil Fabrizio

Staff WritersSally Alt

Jennifer BeekmanNora Caplan

Mike CuthbertGina Gallucci-WhiteSharon Allen Gilder

Betty HafnerScott Harris

Sheilah Kaufman Syl Sobel

Bethany StarinMaureen StilesEllyn Wexler

Social Media Consultant

Mac Kennedy

Diane Dorney Publisher

news@towncourier.com

Matt Danielson President

matt@eink.net

POLICEBEAT

School Resource Officers Provide Security and Positive Impact on Schools

By Gina Gallucci-White

This week, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) saw the return of back-packs, buses and lunch boxes. For the past several weeks, students have been gathering supplies and educators have been readying their classrooms, but they are not the only ones preparing for the first weeks.

Multiple police agencies in the county sponsor the School Resource Officer Pro-gram (SRO), a partnership with MCPS that places a sworn, uniformed police officer at every high school in the county. The Gaith-ersburg Police Department has one SRO, Officer Bobby Blackmon, based at Gaith-ersburg High School (GHS).

“(SROs) are an invaluable asset for the Gaithersburg Police Department,” said Sgt. Scott Scarff. “First, they provide a visible se-curity presence for the school staff and stu-dents on a daily basis. They are the first line of defense should an active shooter situation occur. But much more than the security, the SRO provides an opportunity for our young people to interact with a police of-ficer in a positive setting. This relationship often has value well beyond the school and later in life. Officer Blackmon is especial-ly gifted in developing these relationships, often giving his own time to reach the stu-dents. Finally, the SRO serves as a valuable resource for other officers who may need to

interact with the school or its students.”Blackmon first joined the department in

1997 as a way to give back to the communi-ty. He became GHS’s SRO eight years ago. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. The job enables him to provide a positive impact on students and each year earn their trust. “I wanted (students) to see officers in a different light besides locking people up.”

On a typical day, Blackmon assists with getting students to school safely, includ-ing monitoring traffic and pedestrians. He sometimes participates in morning an-nouncements to discuss concerns or give tips. He then will assist security with mon-itoring school, which can include mentor-ing, mediation, and educational reinforce-ment. Usually once or twice a month, he also does presentations and talks to the ele-mentary and middle feeder schools, discuss-ing “policing and (giving students) a better understanding as to what we do as police officers and why we do the things we do,” he said.

In the weeks leading up to the start of school, Blackmon has been busy getting packets together and speaking at assemblies to give freshmen and new students an idea

of what to expect at the school and “how we all need to collaborate to try to make high school a great experience—one of the best times of their lives,” he said. “We do a lot of things that are proactive just to get the students excited about the school year and to keep them safe.”

So why are SROs good for county high schools? “I think the title speaks for itself. Resource. That’s exactly what it is,” Black-mon said. “The students have an outlet that they can come to and ask questions about certain situations that they may encounter in their lives. They also have an outlet to come to if they just want to talk about a number of things whether it’s their grades, whether it’s sports activities, whether it’s different programs they want to get in-volved in, whether they have been bullied or approached in a situation and they aren’t sure what to do. It’s definitely a resource outlet for them and it also gives them a chance to see us as human beings—not just police officers. I think it is very important for each school to have (an SRO).”

Blackmon said his job is challenging but the most rewarding of his career. Over his time at GHS, he has seen wide-eyed fresh-men walk through the doors and not know what to expect turn into confident young adults at senior graduation moving on to new horizons. “That’s the best part of my job,” he said.

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 5

301-299-5222

301-657-3332

CITYSCENE Compiled by Pam Schipper

9/6 – MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEETING, City Hall Council Chambers, 7:30 p.m.

9/7 – PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING, City Hall Council Chambers, 7:30 p.m.

9/8 – OLDE TOWNE ADVISORY SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING, City Hall Gallery, 7:30 p.m.

9/9 – EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT COMMITTEE MEETING, Wells/Robertson House Conference Room, 7:30 a.m.

9/12 – SENIOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING, Benjamin Gaither Center, 10:30 a.m.

9/12 – MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION, 16 South Summit Ave., 7:30 p.m.

9/13 – COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING, Activity Center at

Bohrer Park, 6:30 p.m.

9/13 – ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETING, City Hall Gallery, 7 p.m.

9/14 – POLICE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING, Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 7 p.m.

9/14 – SOLAR CO-OP COMMUNITY MEETING, Casey Community Center, 7 p.m.

9/14 – BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING, City Hall Council Chambers, 7:30 p.m.

9/14 – MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETING, Activity Center at Bohrer Park, 7:30 p.m.

9/16 – ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETING, City Hall Gallery, 7:30 a.m.

MEETING CALENDAR

For the latest information on city meetings, visit the City of Gaithersburg website at www.gaithersburgmd.gov.

Cultural Arts Committee Reappointments

Anthony Glander, Arts Barn artist-in-res-idence, and Nanette Horan, owner of Kent-lands-based Positive Energy Art Studio (P.E.A.S.), were reappointed to the City of Gaithersburg Cultural Arts Committee. The reappointments were made at the Aug. 15 Mayor and City Council meeting.

Landscaping and Forestry Team Recognized

The City of Gaithersburg Landscaping and Forestry Team received a 2016 Second Quarter Employee Recognition Award for their dedication and achievement during this planting season. They achieved 90 per-cent of their goal to plant 20,000 annuals, getting 18.000 annuals into the ground and caring for them during a dry, hot summer.

Solar Co-Op Formed Neighbors in Montgomery County have

formed a solar co-op to save money and make going solar easier, while building a network of solar supporters. The City of Gaithersburg, along with the Montgom-ery County Department of Environmental Protection, the cities of Takoma Park and Rockville MD SUN are the co-op spon-sors. MD SUN is a non-profit effort work-ing in Maryland to help homeowners use their collective buying power to go solar together for a discount and gain the sup-port of a group. The co-op is seeking mem-bers through the sign-up deadline of Sept. 30 and will host an information meet-ing Sept. 14, 7 p.m. at Casey Community Center, 810 South Frederick Ave., Gaithers-burg. For more information on the co-op, visit www.mdsun.org/montgomery.

Fall Bridal Showcase Celebrates Harvest

Experience the elegance and charm of his-toric Kentlands Mansion while meeting one-on-one with a variety of wedding vendors, including caterers, photographers, event planners and musicians. Future brides

and grooms can spend the day sampling delicious cuisine from the area’s finest ca-terers, exploring honeymoon destinations, enjoying music by various entertainers, and discovering the latest wedding trends. Door prizes will be given away throughout the day. This year’s Fall Bridal Showcase on Sunday, Sept. 25, noon to 4 p.m. will fea-ture a harvest theme.

Admission to the Bridal Showcase is $5 per person, payable at the door. For infor-mation and directions, visit www.gaithers-burgmd.gov or call 301.258.6425.

City Event Sponsorships AvailableA comprehensive guide to marketing op-

portunities at City of Gaithersburg events and activities is now available. The booklet details more than a dozen festivals, parades, sports events, and community initiatives through which businesses and organizations can connect to area residents. The guide is available online at www.gaithersburgmd.gov under “Leisure – Special Events.” For more information, contact Sponsorship Coordinator Jenni Opel at jopel@gaithers-burgmd.gov or call 240.801.5210.

Domestic Violence Empowerment Luncheon Planned

The 10th Annual “Restore the Joy” Do-mestic Violence Empowerment Luncheon, hosted by Women Who Care Ministries, the Victims’ Rights Foundation, The Peo-ples Community Baptist Church, Sisters 4 Sisters Network, Inc. and the City of Gaith-ersburg, will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 3 Research Court in Rockville.

“Restore the Joy” includes a resource fair and vendors, a dialog with a panel of experts and inspirational performances. Admission is $50 per person, with tables of 10 available for $500. Admission for children under 12 and senior citizens is $30 per person. Ear-ly registration is recommended as seating is limited and the event is expected to sell out. To purchase tickets for the luncheon, go to www.womenwhocareministries.org.

Page 6 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

SHOPTALK

n GLASS from page 3

Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Massage

Our treatments include gental manipulation, myofascial release, electrical stimulation, cold laser, and exercise. All treatments are catered to each patient’s individual needs in addition to their tolerance levels. If you are in pain and you are looking for a friendly

place to help you get better, give us a call.

We participate with most insurance plans. See our website for details.www.swistakchiro.com

Compiled by Pam Schipper

Absolute Mac Closes Kentlands Retail Location

Absolute Mac, until recently located at 510 Main St., has closed its retail location. According to the company website, “We have decided to eliminate the retail aspect of our business to focus solely on service, repairs and upgrades. This decision has prompted us to find a new location that is more suitable to that goal.”

The company will continue to be avail-able via phone (301.417.0600) and email (absmac@absmac.com). For service, re-pair or upgrade, Absolute Mac will pick up

your machine, diagnose and repair at the company’s temporary office.

Dryclean Station Moving to Natelli Building

Dryclean Station currently located near the movie theater at 204 Market St. East is relocating into the former Absolute Mac space, 510 Main St. Owners anticipate an Oct. 1 opening date at the new location.

Paragon Offers Fall Sensory-Friendly Screenings

Paragon has announced its fall senso-ry-friendly screenings for children with autism and other special needs and their

families. Screenings are low sound and with the lights on. Children are free to move around. Look for

• “The Wild Life” on Saturday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m.;

• “Storks” on Saturday, Oct. 1, 10 a.m.;

• “Trolls” on Saturday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m.; and

• “Sing” on Saturday, Dec. 24, 10 a.m.

Northstar Group Selected as Fastest-Growing Company

The Gaithersburg-based Northstar Group, an IT consulting and staffing strat-egy company with a revenue of $3.4 bil-lion, is on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest-growing companies. Nationwide, the company is ranked 126; within the state of Maryland it is number three. For more information, visit www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2016.

Local Small Business Initiative Celebrates 10th Anniversary

To help boost the local economy, Mont-gomery County government launched the

Montgomery County Office of Procure-

ment’s Local Small Business Reserve Pro-

gram (LSBRP) and it was voted into law

by the County Council in 2006. The pro-

gram ensures local, small vendors compete

solely with businesses of similar size and

resources for county LSBRP-designated

contracts.

More than 1,000 vendors have submitted

applications, and the Office of Procure-

ment has fully certified 455 of them. The

Office of Procurement plans to complete

the remaining certifications by the end of

this calendar year.

“To support the LSBRP, county de-

partments pledge to spend 20 percent of

their budget with local small businesses,”

said Montgomery County Office of Pro-

curement Director Cherri Branson. “I’m

pleased to tell you the county spent $88.5

million, nearly 24 percent of total eligible

spending with local small businesses in

FY15.” For more information, visit www.

montgomerycountymd.gov/PRO-LBP/

Home.html.

whose work is accepted for four consecu-tive years.

Inspiration has come mostly from her gardens and her travels, Glass said. She and her husband, who met as students at Van-derbilt University in her native Nashville, Tennessee, have been around the world twice. They spend winters in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she shows at the Atenea Gallery.

“I am never without my sketchbook,” she said. She has filled 23 of these bound journals, which are “brimming with wa-tercolor sketches, brilliant egg temperas and finely rendered oil pastels,” as well as her notes, often while on buses, trains and even a freighter. When they are on group tours, Dr. Glass said, his wife skips lunch to work on her sketches. Most of the pieces in her Framer’s show were developed from these books. “I often put a sketch away for a year or so, and then return to it,” she said.

From the time she was a five-year-old confined to bed when she was ill (time treasured because it went along with a new box of crayons), Glass’ artistic proclivities were clear. By high school, “they let me take art instead of home economics,” but since Vanderbilt had no art department, she majored in literature. When her hus-band was sent to Germany after the war, Glass took fine arts classes at Heidelberg University and upon their return, earned a master’s degree in fine arts at Central Con-necticut University.

Like most painters, Glass started out working in oils, but she tended to overmix the colors. “Everything I touched turned to mud,” she recalled. Her discovery of watercolors when she was in her mid-20s, she said, “was like the discovery of gold at the end of the rainbow.”

She credited Estelle Coniff, a Yale Art

School graduate who ran a 10-artist cri-tique group, with having had the most profound influence on her work. For some 20 years in Connecticut, Glass took part in the group that had the unofficial mot-to, “Don’t come if you don’t have any-thing bad to say.” From Coniff, she said, “I learned color theory, how one color affects another, and I learned about design, the dominant and the subordinate. Even now, I hear her voice over my shoulder.”

Glass said she is best known for her use of ink on rice paper and a wax resist tech-nique, which, she said, may appear com-plex, but it became her routine. When asked to describe her process in a 2005 publication, “How did you paint that? 100 ways to paint Still Life & Florals,” she wrote, “I created the floral arrangement, simplifying the shapes to suggest flowers. On a large sheet of rice paper, I drew with a Chinese ink stick, losing some of the line as the painting progressed. Using melted wax as a resist to retain the lights, I applied a combination of lightfast inks, and wa-tercolors, moving progressively from light to dark. I removed the wax with a warm iron, putting the paper between layers of unprinted newsprint.”

Through the years, Glass observed, “my style has become more abstract, but not completely non-representational. I still have a subject in mind, though you might not know it, because I eliminate unnec-essary details.” Always up for a new chal-lenge, Glass has been working on collages for about three years. In 2017, perhaps at Framer’s Choice, she expects to be ready to show them.

The opening reception for Helene Glass’ “People and Places” exhibit is set for Sat-urday, Sept. 10, 3 to 5 p.m., at Framer’s Choice Gallery, 402 Main St. Glass’ work will be shown through the month of Sep-tember.

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 7

n ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Continued on page 12

ARTS& ENTERTAINMENT Compiled by Pam Schipper

Celebrating 5 Years!As a thank you to our community, we are inviting everyone in for a free class! Go to YogaBlissStudios.com and use promo code: "5years!" for a 1 class drop-in.

‘THE SEVEN PALETTES’ EXHIBIT Through Sept. 5, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Kentlands Mansion

The Seven Palettes is a group of women who have joined together for the purpose of in-creasing their immersion in art. Artists include Sara Becker, Nancy Butler, Helen Gallagher, Caroline Orrick, Ann Rossilli, Penny Smith, and Maureen Ward. www.gaithersburgmd.gov

‘THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD’ Through Sept. 25, 8 p.m. Fridays and Satur-days (no performance Saturday, Sept. 10), 2 p.m. select Sundays Arts Barn

Enter the mysterious, comical, raucous, and risqué world of the English music hall, where the audience determines the outcome. Who killed Edwin Drood? Who is Dick Datchery? And who finds love in the end? You choose! Presented Landless Theatre Company and hosted by Arts on the Green, this production is accompanied by a new symphonic metal score approved by author/composer Rupert Holmes. Tickets are $25, and this show is recommended for ages 12 and up. www.gaithersburgmd.gov.

HELENE GLASS: ‘PEOPLE AND PLACES’ Framer’s Choice Gallery, 402 Main St. Through Sept. 30

Artist’s reception Sept. 10, 3-5 p.m. Contemporary works in watercolor and mixed media by Kentlands artist Helene Glass are

exhibited through the month of September. theframerschoicegallery.com

THE LATINO ART LEAGUE Activity Center at Bohrer Park Through Oct. 16; 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Artists reception, 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 15

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the City of Gaithersburg and The Latino Art League (TLAL) of Greater Washington DC present an exhibition of multimedia artwork celebrating the group’s diverse talents. Free.  For more information, please visit www.thelatinoar-tleague.org.

EVENINGS IN OLDE TOWNE: DIAMOND ALLEY Sept. 1, 6-7:30 p.m. Gaithersburg Town Hall Concert Pavilion

Diamond Alley, one of D.C.’s most popular groups, is a five-piece dance/rock and variety band performing an exciting and diverse mix of contemporary and classic hits as well as the band’s own popular original tunes. Free. www.gaithersburgmd.gov

SKYWATCHING—‘NEPTUNE AT OPPOSITION’ Sept. 2, 9:30-11 p.m. Observatory Park, 100 DeSellum Ave.

The blue giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth, its face fully illuminated by the Sun. Due to its extreme distance, Neptune will appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful of telescopes. Free. www.gaithersburgmd.gov

23RD ANNUAL KENTLANDS/LAKELANDS 5K RUN & KIDS FUN RUNS Sept. 3, 8 a.m. Main Street near Kentlands Market Square

This USATF-certified course offers live enter-tainment and two water stops to participants as they wind through the new urbanist communi-ties of Kentlands and Lakelands. A vendor fair follows the race. www.kentlands.org/page5k

KENTLANDS ACOUSTIC JAM Sept. 3, 8 a.m., Kentlands/Lakelands 5K Sept. 6, 6 p.m., Kentlands Carriage House

The Kentlands Acoustic Jam performs at the Kentlands/Lakelands 5K race. On Tuesday, Sept.6, all are invited to jam with the group or just listen at the Kentlands Carriage House. www.reverbnation.com/kentlandsacousticjam

MAIN STREET FARMERS AND ARTISTS MARKET Sept. 3 & 10, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Main Street Pavilion

Products for sale include a variety of fruits and vegetables, herbs, jams and jellies, baked goods, crab cakes, meat, eggs, honey, cut flowers, potted plants and dog treats. Arts and crafts vendors sell one-of-a-kind items. Musicians perform 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. www.facebook.com/GaithersburgMarkets

MASTER GARDENERS Sept. 3 & 10, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Quince Orchard Library

The Meadows Brothers perform at the Arts Barn on Sept. 10.

Photo | Submitted

The Meadows Brothers Kick Off Singer Songwriter Series

By Pam Schipper

Get ready for some “Countrified Folked-Up Soulful American Rockn-Roll Roots Music. Or something like that.” That’s how The Meadows Brothers from Chester, Connecti-cut, describe their sound, and they’re bringing it to the Arts Barn Sept. 10 to kick off the fifth season of the Singer Songwriter Series.

Just 21 and 19, Ian and Dustin Meadows have opened for or shared bills with Low Cut Connie, The Silks, Don McLean, The Honey Dewdrops and The Black Lillies.

n MEADOWS BROTHERS Continued on page 19

Page 8 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

n S&T KENTLANDS from page 1

The apartments will include one- to three-bedrooms, some with dens or lofts, and a small number of efficiencies. Wol-ford estimated that a standard two-bed-room will have 730 to 765 square feet, and a standard three-bedroom, about 1,200 square feet. While bedrooms are well sized, the remainder of the living space is small, compensated for by community amenities, such as lounges, throughout the complex.

As is mandated in Montgomery County, 15 percent of the units will be moderately priced dwelling units (MPDUs) affordable housing. All apartments will be designed and finished the same, whether market price or affordable housing. The latter will be fully integrated into the buildings rath-er than separated. Designating a section of the complex for residents, age 55-plus, is a possibility.

The landscaped front entrance, which will feature a fountain, will face Great Seneca Highway. An elevator will be lo-cated inside.

The garage will have both below and above ground spaces, sufficient for res-idents and their guests, with two access points for vehicles, as well as elevators to the apartment buildings. There will be no on-street parking. The above-ground part will be concealed by the buildings and the berm on Great Seneca Highway. Three loading docks for residents moving in and out of the buildings will be provided; the

space will not interfere with the flow of traffic.

To ease the burden of traffic on Arch and Granite places in the Colonnade, the owners are working with the State High-way Administration on creating a new en-trance/exit on Great Seneca Highway.

Wolford noted that the project is a “work in progress,” they are “massaging the design,” assisted by input at commu-nity meetings like this one, and added that the City of Gaithersburg planners have been “a great help.”

Key concerns expressed by the commu-nity and board members included inte-grating the new, somewhat disconnected area into the larger community; the traf-fic flow issue most relevant to Colonnade residents; overcrowding at Rachel Carson Elementary School and pedestrian accessi-bility for the future residents. It was sug-gested to the owners that they engage in a dialogue with BF Saul (owner of the Kent-lands Square, Kentlands II and Kentlands Place shopping center properties) about creating attractive walkways.

The timeline for the project, Wolford said, is probably two to three years for re-fining design and permitting, then about two years to build out.

KCA President Barney Gorin was pleased that the property owners accepted the KCA’s invitation. “This kind of early engagement with the community, and their apparent willingness to listen to the community’s concerns and suggestions is extremely en-couraging. Open discussions such as this allow the KCA and all Kentlands citizens

to educate the development team, and re-mind City (of Gaithersburg) officials about how valuable this site can be as a part of our community if the work follows neo-tradi-tional new urbanist principles.”

Gorin said he hopes “the development … will follow Kentlands architectural and design standards, the Kentlands Plan, and the City of Gaithersburg’s plan for the Kentlands Boulevard Commercial Dis-trict, but there is no guarantee of that.” He pointed out that the site “has not been annexed into Kentlands” and thus, “would not, at the moment, be part of Kentlands, the residents would not be Kentlands cit-izens as are those who rent in Kentlands locations, and it is not required to follow our design standards.”

KCA Chair Chris Campbell character-ized his own personal “off the cuff” over-all view of the project as “optimistic.” “I understand the need to do something dif-ferent with that property, and I am pleased with the thought process behind the de-sign,” he said.

Still, he expressed concern that “this small entity is not necessarily tied into the Kentlands Master Plan. They need to be invested into the bigger picture” and that the resulting “alteration of the numbers might restrict what BF Saul and Kimco (new owner of Kentlands Market Square) will be able to do.” He is hopeful that “all parties make a conscious effort to commit to strategic planning within the confines of the master plan.” Campbell also sug-gested that the S&T team consider how the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) project and MedImmune’s new construc-tion will impact their project and Great Seneca Highway.

“Exploring every opportunity for mak-ing this apartment complex a real part of Kentlands impresses me as the best way to develop a win-win solution,” Gorin con-cluded.

Campbell and Gorin invited the pre-senters to attend future KCA meetings and requested that they keep the community in the loop with posts on the KCA website.

n YOGA BLISS from page 1

rienced substitute teachers, and the sched-ule has expanded from seven to 12 classes a week to about 40. The original classes were mostly Vinyasa, a style in which movement and breath are coordinated in flowing from pose to pose. Vinyasa is still “the heart of what we offer, (but) we have expanded into a wider variety, including an Ashtanga slow flow in the evening. It’s a better fit for the time, and we try to have classes that fit everyone’s constitution and needs,” Grewal said. Instructors offer a range of “different energies, approaches, vocabulary, ways to get into poses. They all bring their own style to the Yoga Bliss family.”

“There are classes and times for parents with young children, yogis who prefer early morning practice, those who like to de-stress after work or need a lunch-time break,” said Beaver, who goes to about four classes a week. Her 29-year-old son, her husband, her parents and some of her friends take classes that, she said, “in some miraculous way, build confidence, friend-ships, strength and flexibility, all the while relieving you of the day-to-day stress we all accumulate.”

“There’s just something special about Yoga Bliss that keeps me coming back,” agreed long-time student Michelle Bolek. “The space is warm and welcoming, the teachers are unique and talented, and there are so many classes and workshops, I feel like I can always find what I need.” She added, “Sabina’s peaceful and soothing presence supports a wonderfully tranquil environment. The studio is absolutely a ha-ven for me, an opportunity to let go from the day and realign my mind and body. Be-cause of my regular practice and learning from great teachers, I feel more centered and more physically and mentally healthy.”

Dan Borten signed up at Yoga Bliss soon after it opened, having tried some yoga previously to improve his flexibility and as “an outlet to deal with stress due to family, health and work issues—i.e., life,” he said. In addition to other sports, Borten now

takes five or six classes a week to get “a total body workout that doesn’t beat up my body.” He likes the variety at Yoga Bliss: “I enjoy the challenge of learning new pos-es (binds and arm balances) and breaking a sweat in a hot power Vinyasa flow class, but also like classes that are more spiritu-al and relaxing like Yin. All of them are a moving meditation that calm my mind and strengthen my body.”

Grewal called the practice of yoga “a never-ending learning process.” She at-tends workshops and trains with “teachers I respect and continue to study with, always expanding my toolbox.” In the fall, her plan is to “get my energy fueled up for my own practice and to offer to my students” by taking a workshop from Shiva Rea of Prana Flow Yoga.

Focusing more on the studio’s opera-tions these days, Grewal is teaching fewer classes—except in mid-August when her instructors vacationed and she ending up teaching 20 classes in two weeks. To help grow her business, she is developing work-shops and specialty classes, which in the past have included gong sound meditation and relaxation; yoga for 5- to 7-year-olds; yoga and osteoporosis; arm balancing, and understanding the meaning of the man-tra “Om.” For winter/spring 2017, she is arranging for the studio to offer teacher training through Yoga Alliance.

Within the past year, Grewal is proud to have gone paperless—“great for customers and my records,” she said. And to suit her creative bent, she has enhanced the Yoga Bliss website and changed up its logo and branding, “freshening and updating the design and color.” For members, the studio will be offering new perks, including 15 percent off on workshops as well as T-shirts and guest passes.

Grewal is anxious to experiment with bringing the yoga community together for open yoga practice sessions without a teacher, and social events like happy hours. She is also dreaming of opening new loca-tions. After all, you can’t have too much Bliss!

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 9

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County Executive Isiah Leggett, has been tasked with identifying and evaluating organizational models of liquor control, distribution, and wholesale and retail oper-ations in other regions as a means to eval-uate the models against “the agreed upon goals of providing high-quality service, excellent product selection, and competi-tive prices, and holding the county harm-less in terms of existing and future revenue generated by DLC.”

Joy Nurmi, special assistant to the coun-ty executive, said, “This is so complex. … None of this is really simple. We put to-gether a group to look at and analyze vari-ous models and see how you could replace the revenue.”

Critics of DLC in favor of reforming the county-controlled monopoly on alcohol with some level of privatization are coun-tered by opponents with concerns about the financial consequences to the county and the impact on 343 DLC workers rep-resented by the county employee union, UFCW Local 1994. Approximately $30 million in profits are generated annually by the DLC for the county’s general fund.

Among DLC’s implementations to re-vamp efficiency are a special order labeling program; a warehouse cleanliness program, which Kassir said has resulted in safety and less product breakage; an accountabili-ty program for improved performance; a $500,000 investment to add flow racks; 24-hour warehouse and 24-hour ordering; expanded inventory access with delivery from DLC retail stores to satisfy customers’ demand; a fleet improvement plan that in-cluded six new vehicles in June 2016 and 10 new trucks expected in August; and wine depletion allowances per bottle in retail that are passed to the licensee, eliminating the need to purchase an entire case of wine and thus reducing the cost to the licensee.

Frank Shull, chief operating officer and partner in the RW Restaurant Group that operates 10 restaurants in the metro area including Boulevard Tavern, is a proponent of privatization. He has firsthand experi-ence with the differences in purchasing al-cohol products in D.C. and Virginia versus Montgomery County. He said one prob-lem is not being able to go directly to the breweries or the wineries. If one of their restaurants in D.C. or Virginia runs out of wine, he said they can “call one of the wine reps and they’ll bring it right over to the restaurant. … They make commissions.” He added, “We could cut our own deals. For example, in D.C. the wine buyers say, ‘Hey, if you buy all the cases, instead of $9 a bottle we’ll sell it to you for $6 a bottle.’ We can’t do that in Montgomery County.”

Shull cited an August beer order for the group’s Lock 72 Restaurant & Bar in Po-tomac where DLC charged them for two kegs of beer that were misdelivered to an-other business in Bethesda. “They fixed it, they got it corrected, which is good, but in the meantime they had already ripped all the money out of our bank account and had to credit our money. … It’s just mis-takes all the time.

“The bottom line is it’s a monopoly,” he stressed. “Look up the definition of mo-nopoly. … It’s a monopoly, and in my mind it’s illegal.”

Arash Tafakor, owner of Downtown

Crown Wine and Beer, has over a decade of experience with DLC. Before opening his store at Crown, he ran his father’s busi-ness, Georgetown Square Wine and Beer in Bethesda. In a proposal emailed to the Montgomery County Working Group on Liquor Control, Tafakor said that the DLC “has shown failure time and time again in delivery of products that are our lifeline to run a business.” He recommended that DLC keep their retail stores, continue to sell wine and beer, and maintain the dis-tribution and sale of liquor to consumers and restaurants; however, he proposed that wholesalers be allowed to deliver wine and beer directly to stores and restaurants. “It will even the playing field a little bit. The DLC keeps its profit-generating stores as long as it keeps the monopoly and delivery of liquor. DLC will still be responsible for issuing licenses, yearly fees of licenses, and regulation of alcohol rules.”

He addressed the county’s revenue is-sue by suggesting that a fee “similar to the Maryland excise tax on alcohol” be charged per gallon or per case on wine and beer, which DLC would pay as well. “The proceeds of this fee will go straight to Montgomery County’s general fund. The amount of money generated will be pure profit. There will be no overhead of ware-housing, delivering and labor. Wholesalers will be responsible for charging and paying the fee to the county and pass the fee to licensees obviously.”

Tafakor suggested that licenses not be issued to any premise over 5,000 square feet. “This will ensure the survival of the profit-generating DLC stores. If a big box alcohol store opens in the county, it will put the DLC stores out of business as well as the existing private retailers.”

He added, “The reason is very simple why the county does not have new restau-rants with celebrity chefs or new good bot-tle shops. … The business environment the DLC has created makes it impossible for small businesses to open up and thrive. … It is an unfair, pure monopoly that cannot handle the rapidly changing alcohol indus-try.”

CountyStat, a performance management and data analytics team within the Offices of the County Executive, was used to eval-uate DLC’s progress from Oct. 5, 2015 to Aug. 14, 2016. Kassir said that DLC’s accu-racy on shipping licensee’s stock orders has improved from 95 percent shipped to the current average of 99 percent shipped each week, and shipping of special orders has improved from 62 percent to 74 percent. Improvement is 75 percent to 86 percent with special order products over which DLC has control. Kassir added, “Out of a weekly delivery that averages more than 100,000 cases per week, DLC has reduced the average number of shipping errors by 15 percent from 536 cases affected per week to 465 cases.”

John Zeltner, DLC’s division chief of wholesale operations, addressing the DLC’s accuracy rate in an Aug. 5 email to Pin-ky Rodgers, co-owner of Pinky & Pepe’s Grape Escape, wrote, “We have stated and continue to state that we are working very hard to improve our overall service to all of our licensees. The most significant im-provement is when licensees work with the DLC for their benefit so we can have a mu-tually rewarding business arrangement.”

n LIQUOR CONTROL from page 1

Page 10 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

n MARRAFFA from page 3

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“The game plan,” he said, is five or six more days in the hospital and then “they will hopefully put me in outpatient” where he will move into an apartment near the hospital.

“I want to thank everybody for all of their prayers, cards, letters and friendship,” said Marraffa who has established a mobile office in his hospital room. “The city man-ager set-up a technical team and installed my own Wi-Fi here for me. I’m staying on top of things from here with the city manager and Jud (Mayor Ashman) making comments where I need to comment … moving on.”

Marraffa’s constant companion has been his wife, Donna Jean. “It’s quite a jour-ney. I’m treating this time as what I call a mini-vacation,” she said. “You know, I just have to take it day by day. I can’t think about tomorrow or next week. … I have to think about today all day and get through today and that’s what keeps me going. I put my feet on the ground in the morn-ing, thank God that I’m here and go on for the day, and I’ll handle tomorrow when it happens.”

“I’m going through this…everything’s working normal it’s just taking longer. Not everybody gets everything but some peo-ple get everything,” Marraffa added with a little chuckle, “I happen to be the lucky one.”

Get Set for the Kentlands/Lakelands 5KBy Pam Schipper

On your mark, get set, go! The 23rd an-nual Kentlands/Lakelands 5K, organized by the Kentlands Community Foundation (KCF), is Saturday, Sept. 3. Want to par-ticipate? There is still time. Just come and sign up on race day. Registration is at 6:30 a.m., Kentlands Market Square.

A highlight of the post-race festival is the first annual Beer and Wine Garden. Mar-ket Street’s The Wine Harvest will offer sparkling wines, mimosas or beer for $5.

KCF Acting Director Chris Camp-bell said that the foundation is thankful for the 5K’s many sponsors. For the first

time in the last few years, the 5K has three platinum sponsors—longtime sponsors the Kentlands Citizens Assembly and the Lakelands Community Association as well as new sponsor Kimco Realty. Sponsorship Chair Jennifer Allen connected with Kim-co before the company’s purchase of Kent-lands Market Square, Campbell said, “and we are all so thankful that they are being so generous to be a platinum sponsor right off the bat. We are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship between the KCF and Kimco.”

There are a number of returning Gold sponsors, Campbell said. Owner Adam

Greenberg is a longtime 5K sponsor as Po-tomac Pizza. This year, Potomac Village Deli & Catering will bring breakfast food and iced coffee to the event. Gold spon-sor Whole Foods Montgomery County will have a banner at the finish line and on the race car. Other returning Gold spon-sors include Stiles Dentistry and Fleet Feet Sports Gaithersburg—both are also race packet pickup locations. My Water Store will do water stops for free and distribute water bottles paid for by Dr. Charles Har-rington, a Silver sponsor who has an or-thodontics practice on Darnestown Road, Campbell explained.

A new Gold sponsor is Sardi’s Pollo a la Brasa. “They will be catering the VIP and volunteer thank you dinner on Sept. 9,” said Campbell.

In addition to Dr. Harrington, Silver sponsors include Kentlands Foot and An-kle, Dart Homes, Casey Health Institute, and 94.7 Fresh FM with a DJ at the fin-ish line making on-air announcement that will also be carried on 94.7 sister station 106.7. Many additional bronze and com-munity sponsors contribute to making the Kentlands/Lakelands 5K a great commu-

nity and fundraising event.Late Friday, Sept. 2, parking restrictions

will go into effect. These can be found at www.kentlands.org/lakelands-parking. For more information on the race, visit www.kentlands.org/page5k.

Kentlands/Lakeland 5K Schedule of Events6:30 a.m Registration & Packet Pickup

7:45 a.m Kids Warm-Up at Intersection of Center Point Way and 328 Main Street (in front of Yoyogi Sushi)

8 a.m Kids Fun Runs (Main Street)

8:25 a.m 5K Race Welcome & National Anthem

8:30 a.m 5K Run Start– Elite Wave

9 a.m Awards, Post-Race Festival, Beer and Wine Garden ($5) and Raffle on Market Street 

Children warm up for the 2015 Kids Fun Run.Photo | Pam Schipper

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 11

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n ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT from page 7

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Do you have a question for a Master Gar-dener? Master Gardeners give advice on vegetables, trees, lawns, shrubs, insects and pruning. Visitors can bring plant samples or photos. Free.

CONCERT ON THE LAWN: MOXIE BLUES Sept. 3, 6-8 p.m. Kentlands Clubhouse Lawn

Enjoy live entertainment from the Moxie Blues band and an obstacle course provided by Great Kids Events. Free. www.kentland-stowncrier.com

LABOR DAY PARADE Sept. 5, 1 p.m. Olde Towne and Summit avenues

This rain or shine event includes ethnic dance groups, antique cars and fire trucks, clowns, high school marching bands, and an assort-ment of community groups, equestrian units, and more. www.gaithersburgmd.gov

EVENINGS IN OLDE TOWNE: KEN KOLODNER TRIO Sept. 8, 6-7:30 p.m. Gaithersburg Town Hall Concert Pavilion

This father-son duo pushes the boundaries of the Appalachian tradition by infusing their own brand of driving, innovative, tasteful and musical interpretations of traditional tunes and songs. Free. www.gaithersburgmd.gov

BACKYARD CONCERT: ENCANTADA

Sept. 9, 6-7:30 p.m. Diamond Farms Park

The City of Gaithersburg’s popular Backyard Concerts return to neighborhood parks with two family-friendly performances this summer and fall. www.gaithersburgmd.gov

MOVIE ON THE LAWN: ‘NATIONAL TREASURE’ Sept. 9, dusk Lakelands Clubhouse Lawn

Settle in to watch Nicolas Cage as historian and code-breaker Ben Gates in “National Treasure.” www.lakelands.org

PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT

Sept. 10 & 11, 9 a.m. Activity Center at Bohrer Park

Divisions include Men’s & Women’s Doubles on Saturday, Sept. 10 and Mixed Doubles on Sunday, Sept. 11. The tournament starts at 9 a.m. with a round robin schedule to be set after the registration deadline. www.gaithers-burgmd.gov

PENNY THEATER: ‘THREE LITTLE PIGS’ AND ‘WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE’

Sept. 15, 9:30-10:15 a.m. Quince Orchard Public Library

“Three Little Pigs” and “Where the Wild Things Are” will be performed by volunteers with a miniature puppet theater. Children ages 3 to 6 and parents also practice theater etiquette. Registration is required. Call 240.777.0200 or visit the Quince Orchard Library Information Desk.

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 13

n PRITCHARD ENSEMBLES Continued on page 16

Back to School

Omega Studios Records Pritchard EnsemblesBy Bethany E. Starin

On Aug. 6, eight students from Pritchard Music Academy gathered at Omega Re-cording Studios in Rockville, a big-name studio on the recording industry scene. The brass and vocal students worked in two groups (Pritchard’s Powerhouse Brass and Vocal Ensemble), each warming up, conducting sound checks and then calming their jitters as the room became air tight and recording began. After a few takes, the stu-dents were welcomed into the sound booth for a preview.

“I felt as if I heard myself perfectly and clearly for the first time,” said Arantza Mir-oQuesada, a freshman at Quince Orchard High School. “The professional micro-phones make the sound still brassy—as if it were live.” MiroQuesada plays the trumpet and has been at Pritchard Music since fifth grade.

“Seeing the look on our students’ faces when they hear themselves recorded for the first time is always a huge highlight for me,” said Becky Pritchard, who co-owns Pritchard Music Academy with her hus-band, Joe. Pritchard explained that what students hear in the room sounds really dry, but when they enter the sound booth “it is amazing because the engineers add reverb so it sounds more like they are playing in a large church-like room where the sounds all

blend together.”This summer, Pritchard Music Acade-

my, located on Main Street in Kentlands, launched what Pritchard calls “The Omega Project,” a partnership with Omega Stu-dios where about 40 students have recorded tracks on site. The relationship is mutually beneficial—Omega was looking for a dif-ferent genre of music that wasn’t hard rock for their advanced students to record and Pritchard is always on the hunt for benefi-cial experiences for her students.

“Guinea pigs is too strong of a term,” said Shannon Follin, general manager of Omega Studios. “They donate their time to be an ensemble that our students get to record.”

Alex Cloud, full-time staffer at Omega Studios, spoke well of the Pritchard stu-dents. “They are talented young people that are a joy to work with,” he said, adding that he taught a subsequent recording session with Pritchard students on Aug. 19.

Having her students at Omega Studios is an incredible treat, Pritchard said, because Omega has recorded work by musical greats including Prince and Radiohead. In addi-tion, they have turned out producers such as Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton who went on to record songs by Jay Z, Beyoncé and Rihanna.

“From the students to the coordinator up to the engineers it has been an amazing ex-perience. This studio has worked with such

greats as Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, El-ton John and the Beach Boys and now we get to work with them?” she said, adding that she sends out tweets at #ICantBelieve-WeGetToDoThis during each recording session. “I really can’t.” She added that they have recorded about a dozen times in small groups throughout the summer.

Zack Moore, sophomore at Richard Montgomery High School, said he taught himself to play the trombone in 7th grade so that he could join the Herbert Hoover

Middle School Jazz Band. Moore, now 15, was part of two recording sessions at Omega that he described as “a whole lot of fun.”

“I learned that getting the best recording requires many takes,” Moore said. “It was really cool when the recording students cut our recordings and put together the best re-cording of each section.” Moore added that he hopes to record at Omega again.

George Casper, a 15-year-old student at

Photo | Becky Pritchard

In early August, Omega Recording Studios in Rockville hosted students from Pritchard Music Academy for one of many recording sessions. Here, Pritchard students play for a sound check including (L to R) Arantza MiroQuesada, Justin Tritenger, Zack Moore, George Casper and Michael Baniak.

Page 14 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

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Back-to-School Recipes

from ‘The Six O’Clock Scramble’

By Aviva Goldfarb

After a relaxing summer with no home-work or after-school activities, it’s hard to get motivated and return to the grind. It’s too easy to lapse into bad habits of last-minute chaotic and unproductive stops at the grocery store, only to find that you already had two packages of the tortillas you just bought but that you forgot to buy salsa for the burritos.

I have found that planning for a few meals in advance and shopping with a

grocery list makes busy lives flow much more smoothly and with far less stress, and it definitely saves money and time!

Here is one of our most popular recipes that comes together in little more than 30 minutes. For an extra helping of time sav-ings, why not double the recipe and pack the leftovers in tomorrow’s lunch box-es? You’ll want to give yourself a great big hug in the morning!

Grilled Sesame ChickenMy friend Esther Schrader often serves

this delectable chicken, adapted from a rec-ipe in Fine Cooking magazine, to her fam-ily of five. This is a fabulous dish to grill in advance and reheat just before dinner or enjoy cold. Serve it with grilled corn on the cob and sesame stir-fried broccoli.

Marinate Time: 60 minutes, Prep: 10 minutes, Cook: 25 minutes Total: 1 hour and 35 minutes, Serves 6

Ingredients for main dish

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

3 Tbsp. rice vinegar

2 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce (use wheat/gluten-free

if needed)

1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minced

1 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce such as Tabas-co, or more to taste

1 tsp. minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

1/2 tsp. Chinese Five Spice powder or ground cloves

3 lbs. skinless bone-in dark meat chicken, such as drumsticks, thighs and/or wings

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish (op-tional)

Ingredients for side dish Grilled Corn on the Cob

4 - 6 ears fresh corn, husked and cleaned

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted, or use butter-flavored cooking spray

1/4 tsp. salt (optional)

1/4 lime, juice only, about 1 tsp. (option-al)

Ingredients for side dish Sesame Stir-Fried Broccoli

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

1-2 tsp. minced garlic (2-4 cloves)

1 lb. broccoli, cut into spears or florets

1 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce (use

Grilled Sesame Chicken is a real family pleaser.Photo | Kirsten Wisniakowski

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 15

n OVERSET Continued on page PB

Back to Schoolwheat/gluten-free if needed)

In a large bowl, combine all the ingre-dients except the chicken, sesame seeds and scallions (optional). Remove 2 Tbsp. of the sauce and reserve it for later. Add the chicken to the bowl and coat it with the marinade. Refrigerate it for at least one hour and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates (or you can bake the chicken on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 30 minutes). When the grill is hot, grill the chicken for 7–8 minutes (reserve the marinade), until it no longer sticks to the grates, flip it, and brush it with the mar-inade that the chicken was in. (Put the corn on the grill after the chicken has been cooking for about 15 minutes, and prepare the broccoli, if you are serving it.)

Grill the chicken for 7–8 more minutes, flip it and brush it with the sauce again, and let it cook for about 5 minutes.

Flip the chicken once more, and let it cook for about 5 more minutes until it is nicely browned and cooked through (the chicken should have cooked for about 25-30 minutes total by now).

Transfer the chicken to a platter, brush it with the reserved marinade and sprin-kle it with the sesame seeds and scallions (optional) before serving it. Alternatively, refrigerate it for up to three days.

Slow Cooker Directions: There is no need to marinate the chicken in advance. Simply combine all ingredients except the chicken, sesame seeds and optional scal-lions in the slow cooker and stir to com-bine. Then add the chicken, turning sev-eral times to coat it with the sauce. Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours or on high for 4 - 6 hours. Drizzle some of the sauce over the chicken (and your sides, if you wish) and top the dish with the sesame seeds and scal-lions (optional) when serving. (Slow cook-er cooking times may vary—Get to know your slow cooker and, if necessary, adjust cooking times accordingly.)

Do Ahead or Delegate: Peel and grate the ginger, peel the garlic, make the mar-inade (remove 2 Tbsp. for later) and mar-inate the chicken in the refrigerator, toast the sesame seeds if necessary, slice the scal-lions if using, or fully prepare and refriger-ate the chicken.

Flavor Booster: Double the hot pepper sauce and use 3/4 tsp. Five Spice powder in the marinade. Top the chicken with the scallions.

Tip: As you know, here at The Scram-ble, we are BIG advocates of sending kids to school with a homemade lunch. Instead of having a whole separate school lunch repertoire to shop for, I pack up little containers of dinner as I tidy up after the

meal. Then those servings are ready to be dropped into school lunch bags first thing in the morning — a great way to provide a healthy and easy lunch, reduce waste and save money at the same time.

Nutritional Information Per Serving

(% based upon daily values): Calories 250, Total Fat: 11g, 17%; Saturated Fat: 2g, 10%; Cholesterol: 110mg, 37%; Sodium: 560mg, 23%; Total Carbohydrate: 8g, 3%; Dietary Fiber: 1g, 4%; Sugar: 1g; Protein: 29g Nu-trition with side dish(es): Calories 406, Total Fat: 17g, 27%; Saturated Fat: 4g, 18%; Cho-lesterol: 115mg, 39%; Sodium: 909mg, 33%; Total Carbohydrate: 30g, 10%; Dietary Fiber: 6g, 25%; Sugar: 5g; Protein: 35g

Page 16 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

n PRITCHARD ENSEMBLES from page 13

ASSIGNMENT EDUCATION

Back to SchoolCompiled by Pam Schipper

Gaithersburg Teen Writing Club Welcomes New Members

Teens ages 12 to 16 are invited to join the Gaithersburg Teen Writing Club, now entering its third school year. Led by Lucinda Marshall and Peggy Rup-pel, with support from Gaithersburg librarian Laura Sarantis, the club meets every first and third Wednesday, 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the teen lounge at the Gaithersburg Library. Marshall, who is a Quince Orchard Park resident, said, “Peggy Ruppel and I are working on some wonderful new writing prompts and exercises to expand our participants’ creative writing skills. It should be a re-ally exciting program this year and I’d love to draw in some more kids from the Lakelands/Kentlands/QOP area.”

The club’s first fall meeting is Wednes-day, Sept. 21, and participation is free. For more information, visit gaithers-burgteenwritingclub.wordpress.com.

Registration Open for LPMS Girls on the Run Heart & Sole

Girls on the Run Heart & Sole is de-signed for middle school girls and ad-dresses the whole girl—body, brain, heart, spirit and social connection. All girls are welcome to participate in the fall 10-week program that kicks off Sept. 15. The team meets on Mondays and Thursdays, 3:30 to 5 p.m., and the season culminates with the Girls on the Run 5K on Nov. 13 at the Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Space is limited, so register today at www.girlsontherunofmoco.org/register. For more information, email coach Aleks Schiff at aleksschiff@gmail.com and visit www.girlsontherunofmoco.org.

LPMS PTSA Space at Kentlands Giant

Lakelands Park Middle School parents now can stay up-to-date on PTSA meet-ings and fundraisers when they make those frequent trips to the Giant grocery store in Kentlands. Just check out the new LPMS PTSA bulletin board!

Still Time to Donate to MCPSFor as little as $10, you can provide

a student with a backpack filled with school supplies, or you can donate more to reach more students. Some 54,443 Montgomery County Public School students receive free and reduced-price meals, and many families struggle to afford basic necessities like school sup-plies. Contributions to MCPS Give Backpacks, www.montgomeryschools-md.org/community-engagement/back-packs.aspx, are tax deductible.

Wootton High School, played the trom-bone in the August recording. “It was fun to work with other people and also to learn what it was like to record a piece profession-ally,” he said, adding that all the students and engineers were really easy to work with.

Pritchard said she’s seen significant growth in her students. “Hearing yourself on a recording is a great way to learn. Too often, you think you are playing this real-ly musical passage in your head; then when you hear it played back, it does not sound at

all like what you thought it would.”She added that the students have really

bonded over the experience, learning to deal with the jitters of being in a profes-sional recording space with equipment that picks up every missed note. “I watch them get settled in while the sound engineers set up their individual microphones and treat them like pros doing a sound check and then reminding them that during the re-cording you can’t move, bump your stand or talk because the mics pick up everything,” she said. “I have seen huge improvements in their confidence. They grow as musicians (and) because they are spending so much extra time together, they are becoming re-

ally good friends.”MiroQuesada, 14, said she has seen per-

sonal change because of the studio time. ”From this experience, I have learned to relax and that feeling nervous is just an un-necessary obstacle that needs to be over-come. After you have overcome that fear of messing up, everything goes perfect.”

Pritchard said she hopes to continue re-cording sessions for as long as possible. So far, recorded songs by Pritchard students in-clude “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” “Silent Night,” “America the Beautiful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” She added that they also plan to record their third CD at Omega next summer.

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 17

Page 18 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

News and Current Events for Quince Orchard Park n E-mail your contributions to pam@towncourier.com n SEPTEMBER 2016

MANAGEMENT MENTIONS

Trash and Recycling 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. For the upcoming Labor Day weekend, trash will be collected on the regular Tuesday and Friday schedule.

Recycling is picked up on Fridays. Con-tainers 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 pickup is usually the first Friday of the month. This is not altered for the Labor Day weekend. Pickup remains Friday, Sept. 2.

Please remember that 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 respon-

sibility of every canine owner walking a dog in the community. Dogs are not permitted off-leash on common property in the City of Gaithersburg.

Visit the New QOP Website!

The Quince Orchard Park website has a fresh new blue color scheme and is being populated weekly with new photos and content. If you have photos to share, please email them to Community Manager Ruchita Patel, RPatel@tmgainc.com

QOP MANAGEMENT CONTACT INFORMATION

QOP Community Manager Ruchita PatelQOP Assistant Community Manager Alex Deeringc/o The Management Group Associates, Inc.20440 Century Blvd, Suite 100Germantown, MD 20874Phone: 301.948.6666

The ParkPagesQOP NEWS

Clubhouse Expansion to BeginBuilding permits have been approved

by the City of Gaithersburg for expan-sion of the clubhouse fitness room. Ultra Company will begin construction soon.

You will see preparatory work at the clubhouse between now and Sept. 15. This will include removing some of the fixtures from the fitness area (e.g., bulle-tin boards, television, magazine racks). The fitness room and social hall will still be available for use and your keyfob will still work.

Beginning Sept.16, your keyfob will be deactivated during clubhouse con-struction and cannot be used to access the building.

You will also see construction barri-ers, dumpsters and heavy equipment in the clubhouse parking lot as work gets underway. Please do not dump items in the dumpster or construction zone or attempt to get past any safety fenc-ing and pay attention to all posted signs. The parking lot to the front and left of the clubhouse will be blocked off, but the rest of the area will be available for use and the work should not affect the school bus stop. In addition, the basket-ball court and barbecue area will still be open for use.

Our goal is to complete all construc-tion by March 1, 2017 so that it does not interfere with reopening the pool next summer. Weather, soil conditions and other factors may create unanticipated delays; therefore, the date that the club-house will reopen may be adjusted in the future.

Work will be limited to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. If delays are ex-perienced, some weekend work will be scheduled, but should begin after 9 a.m. Noise and other disruptions will be kept to a minimum.

Regular updates will be sent out via the website, so please encourage your neighbors to sign up for the listserv if they haven’t already done so. Thank you for your patience and cooperation while this project is underway! If you have any questions, please contact Ruchita Pa-tel, Alex Deering or Marylou Bono of TMGA at TMGAInc@TMGAInc.com or 301.948.6666.

Beautification Grants AwardedTwenty neighborhood and home-

owner associations were awarded a total of $66,165 through the City of Gaithers-burg Frederick J. Felton Neighborhood Matching Grant Program. The program provides an incentive for neighborhood organizations to improve their com-munities by awarding matching grants of up to $5,000. The Quince Orchard Park Condo I was awarded $4,500 for landscaping, and the Quince Orchard

Park HOA was awarded $4,000 for landscaping.

Do You Need to Sealcoat Your Driveway?

The homeowners association is get-ting bids to repair the asphalt in the alleys and then sealcoat the alleys and privately maintained parking spaces (the perpen-dicular parking spaces) this fall or next spring. The Board did not award a con-tract at the August meeting, but hopes to do so at the Sept. 13 Board meeting. To date, 20 residents have expressed in-terest in having the contractor provide a price to sealcoat their driveways. If you would also like a group quote, please go to www.quinceorchardpark.com and fill out the e-form by Sept. 12.

If you have received a maintenance notice requesting that you sealcoat your driveway (or take care of any oth-er maintenance issue), remember that you can request an extension of time to complete the work. To request an extension, please contact Marylou Bono of TMGA at mbono@tmgainc.com or 301.948.6666.

Parking Improvements Soon Underway

Up to 20 additional parking spaces on the residential side of Orchard Ridge Drive will be installed by the City of Gaithersburg Department of Public Works during this construction season. Money has been budgeted for the design and construction of these spaces per an agreement between the city and Med-Immune.

Representatives of the City Council, the Department of Public Works and interested Quince Orchard Park resi-dents inspected the proposed Orchard Ridge parking locations on May 23. Following this meeting, next steps in-cluded digging test pits at a number of locations along Orchard Ridge Drive to determine the tree and utility impacts.

The city has completed this process and determined that the proposed location for the six parking spaces furthest away from MD 119 are not acceptable due to conflicts with utility lines or trees; how-ever, the remaining 22 proposed loca-tions for parking spaces were acceptable.

Sign to Improve Safety at Twin Lakes/Orchard Ridge

Many QOP residents have experi-enced a near collision at the intersection of Twin Lakes Boulevard and Orchard Ridge Drive. Traffic on Orchard Ridge Drive is required to stop at this inter-section, and traffic on Twin Lakes Bou-levard is not. This is often overlooked by drivers using Orchard Ridge Drive, who are expecting vehicles on Twin Lakes Boulevard to stop.

New “Cross Traffic Does Not Stop” signs were requested by a QOP resident and approved by the City of Gaithers-burg. Please remember that if you are on Orchard Ridge Drive, you must stop at this intersection; oncoming traffic does not stop.

Calling All Canines!Quince Orchard Park’s annual Pet

Swim is scheduled for 7 to 8 p.m. this Labor Day, Sept. 5. Four-legged QOP residents (and their two-legged com-panions) are invited to enjoy the final hour of the summer pool season. Only dogs are allowed in the pool, and as the guests of honor, they will be given goody bags. All—dogs and people—can enjoy fun and refreshments. Please make sure that your dog is in good health and has the proper vaccinations. Owners are responsible for their dogs’ behavior. This event is being organized by Board Treasurer Victor Liau.

Final Float Day of the SeasonThe final Float Day of the 2016 pool

season is Sunday, Sept. 4, noon to 3 p.m.

The pool closes on Labor Day, Sept. 5, but your barcoded pool passes will be used again next year. Please save them for next year. These wonderful days of lounging poolside will return!

Photo | Pam Schipper

LAST CALL FOR THE POOL

MEETING CALENDAR

Sept. 13 Board Meeting, QOP Clubhouse, 7 p.m.

Sept. 26 Condo I Board Meeting, location TBA, 7 p.m.

Sept. 28 Condo II Board meeting, location TBA, 7:30 p.m.

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 19

n MEADOWS BROTHERS from page 7

Domenic Cicala, whose company O’HAIR Salon+Spa is the presenting sponsor of the Singer Songwriter Series, said The Meadows Brothers “are the Next Generation of working singer-songwrit-er.” He added, “I first saw them play about three years ago and they blew me away with how tight they were, their playing and harmonies, and how world-weary and mature their voices and songs were. I had the chance to be on a festival with them the next year and was impressed with how much they had progressed in terms of their sound and professionalism.”

“They’re a cool brother duo,” said Su-zanne Takahashi, Arts on the Green music program coordinator, “They have really tight harmonies and their songs are marked by great storytelling.”

Like “Lonesome Pine Company” about the isolation and loneliness of working in the wilderness on their most recent album, “Won’t Be Troubled” (2015). Sean Lynch

of WSBU in Allegheny, New York, said of the album, “With vivid storytelling, each track becomes a journey into a different place. The teamwork from the brothers is really felt in this album. The guitars feed off each other and the vocals pair togeth-er perfectly during the harmonies. While ‘Won’t Be Troubled’ is not straight from the heartland, it comes close enough to match for being hundreds of miles away.”

At the 2015 New England Music Awards, “Don’t Be Troubled” won Best in State.

“I’ve always thought that the coolest part of songwriting was the aspect of sto-rytelling so that tends to be a big part of the process,” said Ian. “I’ve always loved to read, and a lot of my favorite writers are master storytellers, so that has been an in-fluence on my songwriting style, too.”

While their songs are full of emotion, Ian said that he tends not to write about himself. “I look for inspiration elsewhere, whether it’s the people I meet, stories I hear, or news articles that I read. I’m defi-nitely not one of those songwriters that wears their heart on their sleeves. I like to write about experiences and emotions that are relatable to all of us.”

The brothers work together to compose their songs. “I tend to come in at the ar-ranging and ‘touch up’ portion of the com-position,” explained Dustin. “I write plen-ty as well, but Ian just has a way with lyrics that I enjoy developing further musically.”

“I typically write the bulk of the song and then bring it to Dustin, who helps

flesh out the arrangement and figure out the harmonies,” Ian said. “He’s got a great ear for that.”

The brothers now have “tons of new songs and just need to find the time to track them,” Ian said

Ian and Dustin formed The Meadows Brothers in 2011, but they’re been making music together their whole lives.

“Our mom still asks us, ‘Do you recog-

nize this or that song? I used to sing this over and over when I was pregnant with you.’ So I guess rhythm and melody were instilled in us at an early age,” Ian said. “We have a home movie of when Dustin was just born and I am lying in the hospital bed watching a James Taylor video singing along and ignoring him crying—maybe he was trying to get a harmony going. … There was always music to listen to of dif-ferent types and a kids’ choir at church that started us performing at an early age.”

“Just seems like I’ve always loved music,” said Dustin. “Lots of singing and dancing going on and kid-size instruments strewn around to bang on in our house growing up. The best part was the discovery that you can just make any kind of music you want for the fun of it and getting to do that

with my brother brought my love of music to a whole new level.”

The brothers played in a classic rock/blues band for four years before forming The Meadows Brothers. “We wanted to play original music and were being limited in that regard with the old band. So the easiest way to do this was to just strip it down to a duo,” explained Ian.

To learn more about The Meadows Brothers’ songwriting process and to get to know them, attend the 3 p.m. songwriting workshop on Sept. 10. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and Baltimore-based Caleb Stine, a member of The Brakemen, opens. For more information, visit www.gaithers-burgmd.gov/leisure/arts/concerts/sing-er-songwriter-concert-series.

Dustin and Ian Meadows have performed up and down the East Coast, but Sept. 10 at the Arts Barn will be their first Maryland show. Photo | Submitted

School’s Back!

To mark the first day of senior year, the Quince Orchard Class of 2017 participated in a parade before the bell rang.

Photo | Mac Kennedy

Quince Orchard High School seniors gathered on the school tennis court Aug. 29 to celebrate class spirit.

Photo | Mac Kennedy

Page 20 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

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Spirits Lifted at the Flower Bar on Main Street By Pam Schipper

Everyone loves flowers for their color, texture and infinite variety. They brighten our landscapes and interior rooms. “They say that just looking at flowers lifts your mood,” said Brooke Schoolfield, design-er at Kentlands Flowers & Bows on Main Street.

Schoolfield is in good company. Think Lady Bird Johnson’s oft-repeated quote: “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.”

If just looking at flowers can lift your spirits, imagine what a new series of DIY workshops at Kentlands Flowers & Bows can do. Each month of the year will bring a fresh workshop themed for the season.

“It’s fun,” said Kim Kelly, owner of Kentlands Flowers & Bows. “I think that people are so interested right now in learn-ing and doing.”

When the traditional flower shop moved from Market Street East to Main Street three years ago, Kelly said, “Brooke and I talked about the concept, how we wanted a flower bar … for the purpose of not only having an open workspace for the shop but so we could have workshops, ladies’ nights, birthday parties … that was our vision three years ago. We’ve had sporadic work-shops but tend to get so busy with every-day life and events that we’ve not made an organized effort to get 12 months planned. But that’s what we’re kicking off here in September with ‘Back to School Basics.’”

Each workshop session will be held at the shop’s 14-foot flower bar, which was handcrafted by Kelly’s husband, Steve. The first “Back to School Basics” work-shop on Sept. 21 will teach the basics of de-signing a beautiful vase arrangement. After taking the workshop, participants will “be able to purchase flowers and have some of the know-how behind line and form and things to combine for an aesthetically pleasing vase arrangement,” Kelly said.

Workshops run the gamut from design-ing basic vase arrangements to creating an arrangement in a hollowed-out pumpkin, building a harvest arrangement with flo-rals, fruits and vegetables, creating a cus-tom wreath for your door, working with artificial botanicals, and making a small dish garden for Mother’s Day.

“We’re trying to keep it fresh and differ-ent,” Kelly explained. “Most of our work-shops will be limited to 10 or 12, so it’s real important to know that they’re first come, first served. If demand is as high as it has been in the past for our sporadic work-shops, we’ll try to add more as needed.”

Participants will learn a variety of design skills in all workshops. “It’s about com-bining colors and textures and heights and different floral principles,” Kelly said. “We will talk about the basics and that there are line flowers, form flowers, accent flowers, mass flowers” as well as color theory.

“We are a working traditional flower shop,” Kelly said. “We have really, really

talented trained designers who not only help customers with floral purchases but right here at the flower bar can help them to learn—and they’ll have fun and be sup-porting a local business.”

No floral design experience is necessary, and all workshops are held at the shop, 364 Main St. in Kentlands. Register online at www.kentlandsflowersandbows.com or call 301.330.7720.

Brooke Schoolfield, designer at Kentlands Flowers & Bows, demonstrates the type of vase arrangement that will be covered in the “Back to School Basics” workshop on Sept. 21.

Photo | Pam Schipper

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 21

Page 22 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

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FIRSTPERSON“My goodness how the

time has flown. How did it get so late so soon?”

—Dr. SeussSomehow, amid the

deafening crescendo of the cicadas, the summer is behind us. Personally, I’m with the good Doc-tor on this one. Where did the time go?

Time is a fickle beast. Seems it either yawns before us until anticipation sucks us dry or streaks like a cheetah, a blur before our eyes.

Summer is the rare combination of both of these. In June summer’s hours seem end-less and full of promise and August leaves us yearning for even just one more day.

Our summer was a contradiction as well. We went into it with few plans and more unscheduled days than we ever had pre-viously. Maybe it was a college drop-off looming that made me want a simple, un-cluttered break. Whatever the motivation was, I got it.

We spent more time as a family this sum-mer than we ever have. And we spent that time doing a whole lot of nothing. Sure, we had a family vacation and reunion, swim team, a smattering of camps and work

schedules to contend with, but mostly we were just hanging out.

You know, like we used to when we were younger. I can remember waking up on summer mornings as a kid and having absolutely no idea where the day would take me—and not caring one bit.

That was our break this year, especial-ly for my youngest. At 13, he was a camp veteran, having attended daily summer camp from the time he was 7. This year, we skipped it because of a location switch.

Turned out it was a welcome switch in ide-ology as well.

Initially I worried he wouldn’t be stimu-lated, but I think that we sell our kids short. After 10 months of over-stimulation, eight weeks of nothing seems like an excellent way to recharge mentally and physically. I found that he was more willing to do sum-mer work when it wasn’t crammed into a jam-packed schedule.

That’s not to say I let them be slugs. Two boys worked and had to manage the money

and schedules that came with that respon-sibility. My youngest learned to cook basic meals, grocery shop using coupons and sale flyers, and saw first-hand what it takes to run this house.

When your kid tags along all the time, they get a very real idea of how much mon-ey you can drop every time you leave the house. He was amazed how it added up quickly.

All of these real-world experiences prompted conversations that never would have been possible in a normal summer. I got to know plenty about my children, and they gained an appreciation for each other as well.

And just in time.When Aug. 15 arrived and we had to

leave a part of our hearts seven hours away at school, we were a solid unit. No one was thinking about themselves; instead each one pondered the new shape of our fam-ily as a whole. Our summer had given us the moments we needed to get through this experience.

On the drive home from drop-off, amid the deafening thud of my heart, I was grateful for the gifts that time gave us this summer. Even if I’m still not sure where summer time went, the sum of its parts is enough for me.

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 23

MIKEAT THE MOVIES

By Mike Cuthbert

Hell or High Water (R) *****

Good American west-erns are usually morality plays. So it is with this film, magnificently di-rected by David Mack-enzie. Marcus Hamilton ( Jeff Bridges) is an old Texas Ranger about to re-tire. He and his half-Co-manche, half-Mexican partner, Alberto (Gil Birmingham), get on the trail of two brothers who begin a string of bank rob-beries in mid-Texas.

The purpose of the robberies for Toby Howard (Chris Pine) is to pay off mortgag-es and his divorce costs. He is the brains of the outfit. For his ex-con brother, Tanner (Ben Foster), it is simpler: He just likes to rob banks. It’s a miracle, given his nature, that it takes as long as it does to have him open up with his pistol. Hamilton figures out the pattern that the two have been fol-lowing and waits patiently for the brothers to show up, dishing out ethnic slurs to his partner the whole time.

As the film progresses, it becomes clear that all is not going to end well. Every-thing in the area is for sale or already out of business, dust and grime cover it all, people are angry and most are concealing and car-rying, ready to shoot. Toby sees the mor-al dilemma and soldiers on and Hamilton retires, not having solved the case to the law’s satisfaction, which means this feud will carry on long after the end of the film.

This is a true Western except for the fact that it is set in modern times. The perfor-mances are outstanding throughout, the cast and the atmosphere note-perfect and the moral issues clear, which means they are entirely complex. Most kids will not resonate to the moral issues and the vio-lence is graphic so leave them home for this one. A really fine film experience.

Kubo and the Two Strings (PG) ****Oriental themes are often poetic in film,

literature and drama, and this is certainly no exception. Kubo (Art Parkinson) is dis-covered in a cave, dealing with a detached mother (Charlize Theron) and the myster-ies of his past. He is very interested in the full story of his father, whom he barely re-members, and discovering the reason why he has only one eye.

His mother brokenly tells him the story of his grandfather and his two aunts who conspired to kill his father and take Kubo’s eye. Kubo was left with one eye, a sham-isen (three-stringed instrument), and a tal-ent for telling stories with accompanying origami figures.

One day the shamisen produces the embodiment of two figures Kubo has made: a monkey and a warrior. He rides the monkey in the direction indicated by the warrior and gets straight into trouble. Eventually both monkey and Kubo meet Beetle (Matthew McConaughey) and go off in pursuit of a magic helmet, sword and breastplate that will aid them in finding Kubo’s father and the answers to his ques-

tions about his past. Throughout all of the many adventures they endure—fighting with dragons, a giant beetle and other ap-paritions, the one constant is Kubo’s desire to find his family and his reliance on his shamisen for creating magical effects that bail him out.

Those of you not into fantasy or magic will probably be bored, but opening your-self to the possibilities of the power of both makes this a truly marvelous film. The backgrounds are exquisite, the characters wonderfully drawn, and there is a surpris-ing amount of humor and more than a little danger that may put some of the younger set into a panic.

War Dogs (R) ***This is the kind of buddy movie that can

bring an audience to love the leads (even though they are villains) or hate them (be-cause they’re villains). The fact that it ends with the audience not sure what they feel is the central weakness of the plot.

Just out of college, Efraim ( Jonah Hill) is a minor arms dealer during the Iraq War. He teams up with his old junior high pal, David (Miles Teller). David is barely mak-ing it as a massage therapist and is facing more financial trouble because his wife, Iz (Ana de Armas), is pregnant, so he agrees to join Efraim in founding AEY, Inc. The initials mean nothing but they soon come to mean profit: $180,000 in one deal.

Efraim’s problem is summarized by Da-vid: “He would find out who someone wanted him to be and would become that person.” Plus, in all other things, Efraim is a congenital liar.

The two soon find themselves in Af-ghanistan, trying to keep alive a deal to sell a lot of Berettas to the U.S. Army, and driving through the Triangle of Death to do so. They make $3 million on that deal and move on to the Afghanistan deal—AK47s and lots of ammunition for them. Things end in the usual snafus of military deals, and David finds his marriage in trou-ble because he can’t bring himself to tell Iz about what he’s doing. Efraim gets more heavily into cocaine, and more lies and de-ceit ensue as he tries to cheat David out of his minority share of the Afghanistan deal.

Everything comes to a head in a meet-ing between the partners and Henry Gi-rard (Bradley Cooper). Efraim’s greed pro-duces evidence for the FBI and ends the company. Never fear: After a ridiculously small four-year sentence, the AEY corpo-rate banner can wave over the government as early as 2022 and they can get back in business!

There is nobody to root for in this mov-ie, and little reason to root against any-body, which makes for a difficult movie to care about. Younger viewers will not like the drug use, and the language is pretty rough. There is surprisingly little actual vi-olence in the film other than some bashing of David. Maybe the film needed some. It is strangely unlikeable.

Ben-Hur (PG-13) ***Around 1959 most Americans talk-

ed endlessly about one scene in a popular movie of that year that has remained a clas-sic chase scene, imitated and emulated for all the years since. That was, of course, the chariot race in “Ben-Hur,” the first major version of the Lew Wallace novel. On bal-ance, the only thing to talk about in the new version is that chariot race, thrillingly filmed in modern, bone-crunching detail. It is not only the most spectacular scene in the film, it brings to a conclusion the long search for redemption of Judah Ben-Hur, ( Jack Huston), a Jewish prince who is po-sitioned behind an oar in a Roman galley for five years, escaping only when his ship is rammed and sunk during one of the Ro-mans’ misadventures.

Ben-Hur’s nemesis is his friend, Messala (Toby Kebbell), a Roman officer he con-siders as his brother. Messala asks Judah for help in making the Jews adjust to Ponti-us Pilate, but that would involve turning in some of the Zealots and that Ben-Hur won’t do. The result is an attempted assas-sination of Pilate (Pilou Asbaek) and the arrest of Ben-Hur for attempted murder. Thus begins his long servitude behind an oar. He also loses contact with his love, Es-ther (Nazanin Boniadi).

Perhaps it is fair to remind viewers of this film that its full title as a novel is: “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.” The Christian overtones for the film are presented with the first appearance of Christ (Rodrigo Santoro) and continue to the end, though

not as aggressively or as flowery as in the novel but far more so than in the 1959 film.

Ben-Hur is rescued by Ilderim (Morgan Freeman), an ancient horseman and wise man who, seeing Ben-Hur’s ability to deal with horses, encourages him to train his own horses as chariot pullers. Since Ben-Hur is the hero, the horses are pure white. That is in opposition to Messala’s pure black horses, naturally. It is Ilderim who suggests that Ben-Hur exact revenge on Messala by whipping him in the circus (the chariot races), and Ben-Hur starts training for the big event.

From there on out, we have a quick Cru-cifixion on Calgary, a reunion between the brothers, a kiss or two and swelling music with lovely skies. The ending of the novel is the death of Christ on the Cross.

As well-filmed as the race is, the rest of the film suffers from a nervous camera that promises more action than it delivers, some strange accents, both British and American, charmless female characters, and uninspir-ing acting. My partner also wondered how a simple chariot race, even though well filmed, would play with younger audienc-es who are used to more spectacular films.

Some pretty brutal battle scenes and the chariot race, frequently violent, may be too much for the younger set. The 1959 version was a true movie spectacular with a cast of thousands. This seems like it could fit easi-ly onto the small screen.

Page 24 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

KAUFMAN’SKITCHEN

By Sheilah Kaufman

I Love New Recipes

I have been testing and loving many new recipes this summer, and here are a few of my favorites. I hope they become your favorites, too.

Debby’s Mocha Mistake Cookies

Debby Vivari shared this recipe with me. It seems when she tried a recipe someone had given her she made a mistake. This fabulous cookie was the result, showing that sometimes mak-ing a mistake can lead to something great. I am not a coffee drinker, but I love these cookies.

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 cup flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

4 large eggs

1 ½ cups sugar

1 ½ tbsp instant espresso powder

2 tsp vanilla

In a double boiler, melt the unsweet-ened chocolate, the chocolate chips and the butter, stirring until smooth, then remove from heat. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is thick and pale and beat in the espresso powder and vanilla. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mix-ture, and fold in the flour mixture. Let the batter stand for 15 minutes.

Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake in the middle of a preheated 350-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are puffed and shiny and cracked on top. Let the cookies cool on the bak-ing sheet a few minutes before transferring them to racks to cool completely.

Chocolate ChewsWhat could be easier? If you have these

ingredients in your pantry, you can whip these up in no time flat. I don’t remember who shared this with me, but it’s another quick and easy recipe.

1 (12-oz) package of chocolate chips

4 tbsp butter

1 can Eagle Brand Sweet Condensed Milk

1 cup flour

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F.Melt the chips, butter and milk in top of

a double boiler over simmering water. Re-move from the heat. In the same pot, add the flour, nuts and vanilla and mix well.

Drop by teaspoons on a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or a piece of parchment paper. Bake for 7 min-utes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makes about 24 to 36 cookies, depend-ing on the size.

Watermelon GazpachoOne recent Sunday, I bought some Wa-

termelon Gazpacho from Sexy Veggie at the Bethesda Farmers Market and loved it. The wonderful owner told me his in-gredients, and I had an old recipe, so I kind of combined them both. The optionals are his, and the fresh-grated ginger and feta for serving are mine.

8 cups finely diced seedless watermelon (about 6 lbs.)

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely diced

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced (option-al)

1 avocado, diced (optional)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp or more grated fresh ginger

3 tbsp red wine vinegar or balsamic (chocolate or fig for me)

2 tbsp minced shallot (or 1 Vidalia onion - optional)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3/4 tsp salt

squares of feta for serving

Mix watermelon, cucumber, bell pep-

per, avocado, basil, parsley, ginger, vine-gar, shallot/onion, oil and salt in a bowl.

Puree in food processor or blender 3 cups of the fruit mixture until desired smooth-ness. Transfer to another large bowl. Puree another 3 cups and add to the bowl. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of diced mixture. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Make ahead; cover and refrigerate for one day.

n KAUFMAN Continued on page 25

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 25

n KAUFMAN from page 24

summer savings!

READER’SCHOICE

By Betty Hafner

“M Train”Written by Patti Smith

Punk rock star and multi-talented artist Patti Smith’s National Book Award win-ner “Just Kids” covered the early days of her New York City life, highlighting her deep friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe before his death from AIDS. “M Train” (2015), her newest memoir, is a compilation of later writings from a variety of locales. In it, we see a different Smith. She is mellowing with age, and the essence of the brilliant, inquisitive and kind-heart-ed soul she is permeates her tales.

She has lived an amazingly peripatet-ic life. As a young wife, she promised her husband she would give him a child if he took her to a crumbling penal colony in French Guiana, on the North Atlantic coast of South America, to gather a handful of

stones, which she placed, years later, on the Spanish gravesite of writer Jean Genet who had been in-carcerated in that prison. In another chapter she is in 2005 Bremen where she has been invited to the convention of the Continental Drift Club comprised of geologists and mathematicians. Later she is in Tangier with a group of poets and musicians honoring the Beat Generation writers who were drawn to that city. At all times, her old Polaroid camera and ex-tra film packs are with her, and her artful photos are sprinkled throughout the book.

Far-flung adventure is not all there is. The title hints at the fact that Lower Man-hattan serves as Smith’s beloved home base, and those sections have an appealing every-day-ness in their settings. A messy apart-ment she shares with her cats whom she feeds with “hand-picked personality-ap-propriate saucers.” Her favorite corner table in the neighborhood Café ‘Ino with endless cups of black coffee, “pretending to write, or writing in earnest, with more or less the same questionable results.” A di-lapidated bungalow by the boardwalk in Rockaway Beach she falls in love with and buys just before Hurricane Sandy devas-tates the area. The watering holes in The Village that bring back her years worship-ping the Beat Poets, “couriers of wisdom,” she says, “that once ushered my generation into a cultural revolution.”

Her life was not without tragedy. She was devastated by the sudden death of her 45-year-old husband, the Detroit musi-cian Fred (Sonic) Smith, and a month lat-er her brother Todd succumbed to cancer. To come out of the darkness, she did the only thing she knew to do—write it out, fueled by plenty of joe. And may I suggest, if you’d like to channel Patti Smith as you read “M Train,” find a cozy corner table in a coffee shop and drink up.

Norene’s BBQ MeatloafI love this quick way to use uncooked

extra hamburgers I bought from Cosco for a BBQ. I also make it with ground bison. This great recipe is from my friend and fa-mous author, Norene Gilletz.

2 lbs extra-lean ground beef (I used sir-loin hamburgers)

2 large eggs or 1 large egg plus 2 egg whites

1/3 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s (what I used) BBQ sauce

1/3 cup rolled oats or matzo meal

1/2 tsp salt or more freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 tsp dried

garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-

inch loaf pan or baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine everything; mix lightly. Don’t overmix or meat will get tough.

Transfer meat mixture to prepared loaf pan (cover the whole pan with mixture) or baking dish (form into an oval-shaped loaf, wetting your hands for easier handling). Bake uncovered for 1 hour. Slice and serve. Serves 6 to 8.

Keeps for up to two days in refrigerator; reheats well. Freezes well for up to three months.

Editor’s Note: For more edible delights by Sheilah Kaufman, go to www.cookingwithshei-lah.com.

Page 26 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

SPORTS

QO Football 2016:

High-Powered, But Can They Get Over ‘That Hump?’ By Syl Sobel

It’s there. You can’t see it, but it’s there. No one needs to say anything about it, but you still know it’s there. And even if they don’t come out and say it, they know it’s there, and they know you know it’s there.

“It” is what Quince Orchard head foot-ball coach John Kelley calls “That Hump.” It’s the question that’s hung over the Cou-gar football program for the past three sea-sons: Is this the year QO can beat archrival Northwest in the regional final for a chance to return to the state championship

and avenge their heartbreaking, last-min-ute losses in 2011 and 2012?

“You think about it,” said John Kelley, whose first two seasons as QO’s head foot-ball coach ended with two of those close-but-not-quite losses at the Cougardome. “It is what is. You just can’t get wrapped up in it. You just play them one game at a time and hope that we get to week 12 and this time we win.”

“It’s been an influence ever since my freshman year,” said co-captain and start-ing left tackle Michael Joseph, who joined varsity as a freshman following QO’s sec-

ond consecutive loss in states. “That’s all the older guys talked about, losing in states. Now we talk about beating Northwest. It’s motivation. It builds fuel into our fire.”

Added fellow co-captain Noah Pagley: “The first year we lost to Northwest was my brother’s senior season, and I was for-tunate enough to be pulled up and play on the team with him. After seeing him lose I’ve always just kind of been on a bounty to get that back, get that respect back, es-pecially for him.”

So can this be the year that QO gets past that black hole and comes out playing in

December? Kelley has taught this team that they

have to work for it. The Cougars have been practicing in plain black, unnum-bered jerseys. When a reporter joked about how much he liked them, Kelley said, “I’ll give you a practice jersey. But if you want a jersey that says ‘Quince Orchard Football’ on it and you want a number, you got to earn it.”

“Earning it” has been the Cougars’ cre-

The Washington Post ranked the Cougars no. 8 in their preseason poll. Photo | Mac Kennedy

QOP VARSITY FOOTBALL 2016 SCHEDULEFRIDAY, SEPT. 2 - 6:30 P.M.Damascus (Damascus, MD)Location: Quince Orchard High School

FRIDAY, SEPT. 9 - 7:00 P.M.@ Walter Johnson (Bethesda, MD)Location: Walter Johnson High School

FRIDAY, SEPT. 16 - 6:30 P.M.Wootton (Rockville, MD)Location: Quince Orchard High School

FRIDAY, SEPT. 23 - 6:30 P.M.@ Clarksburg (Clarksburg, MD)Location: Clarksburg High School

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30 - 6:30 P.M.@ Gaithersburg (Gaithersburg, MD)Location: Gaithersburg High School

FRIDAY, OCT. 7 - 6:30 P.M.Churchill (Potomac, MD)Location: Quince Orchard High School

FRIDAY, OCT. 14 - 7:00 P.M. @ Northwest (Germantown, MD)Location: Northwest High School

FRIDAY, OCT. 21 - 6:30 P.M.Bethesda-Chevy Chase (Bethesda, MD)Location: Quince Orchard High School

FRIDAY, OCT. 28 - 6:30 P.M.@ Whitman (Bethesda, MD)Location: Whitman High School

FRIDAY, NOV. 4 - 6:30 P.M.Paint Branch (Burtonsville, MD)Location: Quince Orchard High School

n QO FOOTBALL Continued on page 27

September 2, 2016 THE TOWN COURIER Page 27

Find out more at www.samsoccer.org

SAM Soccer has classes for children as young as 2 years old.

Start learning the beautiful game at a young

age with SAM Soccer.

do, and so far, they have done what Kelley and his staff have asked. “I like the over-all work ethic that these kids have put in since January,” Kelley said. “Everybody—the whole team—has been busting their butts.”

Even though QO has lost more than half of their starters from last season, they return a lot of players with practice and game experience. “We’ve got kids who have been in the program four years, so those kids are going to step right in,” Kel-ley said.

The Cougars are especially rich in returning talent at the skill positions, starting with junior quarterback Kend-all “Doc” Bonner. The dynamic Bonner started every game last season as a soph-omore and improved with experience, capping the season with five touchdowns, 200-plus yards rushing, and 8-12 passing in the playoff loss to NW.

“Not many people can do what Doc can do,” said Kelley.

QO’s returning skill players also include wide receiver/defensive back Fofie Bazzie, who has committed to play at University of Maryland, and running back/defensive back Marvin Beander, a Temple Universi-ty commit.

The shifty Beander has gained 1,900 yards and scored 34 TDs the past two seasons and could become QO’s all-time leading rusher as the featured back this year. Bazzie, at 6 feet and 180 pounds, is a

big, athletic pass receiver and a lockdown corner back who had six interceptions last year.

The Washington Post ranked the Cou-gars no. 8 in their preseason poll, saying Bonner, Beander and Bazzie “make the Cougars one of the area’s most experi-enced and dangerous offenses.”

Another skill player easy to overlook is tiny scatback Titus Johnson. Generous-ly listed at 5-foot-7 and 155 pounds, he is hard to find in traffic and darts quickly through slight openings.

“We know the guys we have that can make plays,” Kelley said. “So we’re going to do whatever we got to do offensively to create opportunities for those guys to get the ball in their hands.”

But one big question for the Cougars is how quickly they can rebuild their offen-sive line, which lost four starters from last year. A slimmed down Joseph returns for his third season as starting left tackle. Now packing 325 pounds on his 6-foot-5 frame, Joseph has lost some 70 pounds from the physique that earned him the nickname “Big Mike.” Joseph said he cut the weight “to be healthier. I need to be healthier for my lifestyle as well, not just for football.”

Anthony Rommel (250 pounds) will start at center with Jake Bernard (230) and Joe Hodges (245) at guard. Ramsey Richey (255) will be the right tackle. Kel-ley said that while the offensive line still needs some time to gel, “most of our O linemen have been on varsity for three years, so you can kind of tell that.”

The Cougars have a deep corps of wide

receivers to join Bazzie. Will Scott and Kyle Moats will see time, as will Tyler Ter-ry, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound transfer from Gaithersburg. Also keep an eye on junior Elijah Payne, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound trans-fer from Northwest.

Larry Hinson will play fullback when QO runs a two-back set and Pagley will play tight end.

Defense is another question mark. The Cougars pride themselves on their Black Paw defense, but last year’s team lost some of that clout, giving up 39 points in their season-opening loss to Damascus and a whopping 50 points to Northwest.

Pagley returns at inside lineback-er, flanked inside by sophomore Johnny Hodges and outside by an athletic group in Terry, Hinson, and Tajir Horton.

Up front, the Cougars return massive tackle junior Desmond Johnson (5-foot-10, 285 pounds). Joining him are John White (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) and nose guard Samuel Gyeni (5-foot-11, 255 pounds), whom Kelley says is “strong as an ox.”

Bazzie will man one corner while Jason Worthy, Beander, and Tristan Dye will see time at the other. Scott will start at free safety, while Marvin Nemi and Ken-ny Williams are competing for the other. “We’re deep in the secondary,” Kelley said.

Kelley is also high on the “really strong leg” of punter/kicker Hayden Au-gust-Scriven.

So, can this team get over that hump?“I think we have a chance to be pretty

good,” Kelley said.

“We have a lot of fire and we have a lot of talent,” said Bonner, also a co-captain. “So we definitely have the ability to do great things.”

QO’s practices are loud and energetic, with Bonner, Joseph, and Johnson making much of the noise. Joseph called it “being another coach in pads, telling everyone to listen up, be quiet, to just be sound and disciplined. It’s helping the coaches out as well as being leaders.”

But the team is also clearly having fun. “We know how to push each other,”

said Joseph. “But we know when to make it serious and when not. Have a little fun here and there. We have team bonds. It’s just about being a team, being brothers.”

Kelley likes that. “They have a really good identity as a team. . . . A lot of them are close.”

There’s one other motivator. Many of the 30 seniors on the squad have spent the past one or two seasons playing behind someone else. One gets the sense that they have something to prove, that as Kelley says, “they want to make their mark on this program.”

So it begins on Friday night at the Cou-gardome, against always tough defending 3A state champion Damascus. Expect a packed house, as Damascus fans travel well and support their team as well as the QO community supports theirs.

“Just get ready for a show,” said Bonner.“You can doubt us if you want to,” said

Big Mike. “But we’ll be ready on Friday nights.”

Added Pagley, “It’s gonna be a ball.”

n QO FOOTBALL from page 26

Page 28 THE TOWN COURIER September 2, 2016

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