Denizens

Montgomery Hills Street Fest Postponed to Spring 2023

/ Anna White

From the Montgomery Hills Planning Committee:

Today, we made the hard decision to CANCEL the Montgomery Hills Street Fest. While we could deal with light rain, the forecast is calling for heavy rain and high winds, and therefore we are postponing the Fest until Spring 2023.  While Ian is dampening our fun, our thoughts are first and foremost with those in the wake of the storm.

Here is our plan going forward:

  1. Don’t head to the Fest,  instead head to Denizens and join us at the ‘Ian Can’t Defeat Us‘ Meet-up from 3 pm until 6 pm
  2. Order food from Meleket and Nothing Bundt Cakes, both of these local businesses planned to sell and share food at the Street Fest, let’s show them our support!
  3. Come to First Fridays! They’re BACK – look for upcoming information about November and December dates at MoHills restaurants
  4. Montgomery Hills Business Roundtable – coming this fall!
  5. 2023 MH Street Fest Take 2 – Stay tuned for the date 

Unfortunately, canceling the Fest means that we lose a significant amount of the funding we raised because we are obligated to still pay for the tents, tables, chairs, sound equipment, and porta-potties we rented. We are grateful to our generous donors — without whom we could not have a Fest. Once we have paid all non-refundable costs, we will bank the remaining funds for use for a 2023 Spring Street Fest. All donors will be recognized for the future Fest.  

Thank you for donating your time to volunteer and money to support the Street Fest! Everyone is welcome to join us at Denizens to celebrate our wonderful community where we all get to live and work and commit to making the Georgia Avenue corridor a safe, pleasant, and vibrant place to be!

2nd Montgomery Hills Street Fest Bring Community Together

/ Anna White

By Geoff Gerhardt

The second annual Montgomery Hills Street Fest took place on Saturday, September 21, 2019 on Columbia Boulevard. The Street Fest attracted more than 1,000 residents of the communities along Georgia Avenue for an afternoon of live music, local food, diverse vendors, and socializing.

Silver Spring brewery Denizens provided a selection of local beer and wide range of artisans, including North Woodside painter Gavin McSkean, sold art, jewelry and other handcrafts. Musical acts included Suzanne Brindamour, the Einstein High School Jazz Combo, and the Airport 77s.

The Street Fest also provided an opportunity to learn about initiatives underway to improve the Georgia Avenue corridor. The Montgomery County Planning Department discussed the draft sector plan update for the area, Friends of Forest Glen and Montgomery Hills answered questions about the state’s plan for improving Georgia Avenue, and local politicians pressed the flesh while giving their perspective on the future of Montgomery Hills.

Local elected officials in attendance included Senator Chris Van Hollen, Representative Jamie Raskin, County Executive Marc Elrich, as well as county council members Tom Hucker, Hans Reimer and Evan Glass. Members of the Maryland state assembly such as Jeff Waldstreicher and Emily Shetty also gave short speeches and talked with residents.

The Street Fest could not happen without volunteers to organize and staff the event. Many thanks to the North Woodside residents who generously volunteered their time and energy at this year’s Fest. Special thanks go out to North Woodside residents Heather Lair, Genevieve McDowell Owen, and Melinda Schnare who were part of the organizing team. If you are interested in helping to organize or volunteer at next year’s Street Fest, contact the organizers.