Bowl America becomes Bowlero in Gaithersburg

The last Bowl America bowling alley at 1101 Clopper Road in Gaithersburg has become a Bowlero. It's the end of an era, as the bowling centers "where thousands cheer" fade into history with a final crash of the pins. A permanent Bowlero logo has been attached to the exterior of the building, but the sign out front has simply been covered with a Bowlero drape for now. "New name, same epic fun," the company said in announcing the change. The bowling alley was renovated before reopening as Bowlero.

Bowlero has largely cornered the market on bowling in the region. The global company started as Bowlmor in New York in 1997. An original Bowl America on Westbard Avenue in Bethesda was acquired by Bowlmor, and then became a Bowlero when the brand changed its name in 2014. The AMF Bowling on Shady Grove Road is a Bowlero today, as a result of Bowlmor's 2013 acquisition of AMF. If you're still looking for the Bowl America experience in 2024, locations remain in Northern Virginia in Alexandria, Bull Run, Burke, Fairfax, Falls Church, and Woodbridge.

Maryland U.S. Senate candidate Larry Hogan's 100th tour stop is Montgomery County

Maryland U.S. Senate candidate Larry Hogan (R) notched the 100th stop on his Strong Independent Leadership tour in Montgomery County yesterday. His choice for the campaign milestone was Silver Spring. Hogan attended the Saints Constantine & Helen Church Greek Fest at 721 Norwood Road. "We enjoyed some great food and had the chance to meet so many members of our Greek community," Hogan tweeted last night. 

The former Maryland governor ended last week with a strong endorsement by U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, after a Gonzales poll showed his Democratic opponent Angela Alsobrooks moving 5 points ahead of him following a well-received speech at the Democratic National Convention last month. Hogan is leading Alsobrooks by ten points among independent voters, the poll showed, and eleven percent of those surveyed told pollsters that they are still undecided on the race.

Photos courtesy Hogan for Maryland, Inc.

Attempted armed robbery at CVS in Poolesville

Montgomery County police responded to an attempted armed robbery in Poolesville on August 23, 2024. A male suspect entered the CVS Pharmacy at 19594 Fisher Avenue at 10:02 PM. He displayed a firearm and attempted to steal money, but was unsuccessful and fled. 

Police describe the suspect only as a Black male in his mid-30s. No images of the suspect from the store's surveillance video have been released. If you have any information about this suspect or incident, call police at (301) 279-8000. 

Buffalo Wild Wings GO coming soon to Gaithersburg

Buffalo Wild Wings GO is coming soon to Gaithersburg. It will be located at 16256 Frederick Road at the Rock Grove shopping center, at the southwest corner of MD 355 and Shady Grove Road. Buffalo Wild Wings' "GO" concept took off during the pandemic, when the chicken wings chain sought to capitalize on an explosion in demand for takeout orders, as well as a chance to muscle in on carryout-focused competitors like Wingstop. Rockville and Gaithersburg both have traditional, full-scale Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants, which are more like sports bars, competing with sit-down competitors like Hooters.

You'll find a slimmed-down menu at Buffalo Wild Wings GO, comprised of some of BWW's customer favorites. An "innovative cooking process" is able to churn out the same crispy wings you find at a regular BWW at a speedier pace, the company says. The interior set-up is designed to get customers in and out of the smaller-scale GO store as quickly as possible, especially when ordering ahead. GO also has some exclusive flavors not found at the full-size BWW.

One of the exclusive flavors at GO locations

Watching Wingstop's tremendous success surely has BWW concentrating even more on growing the number of GO locations around the country. CNBC reported just last week that the preference of sports television viewers for wings while watching the game has allowed Wingstop to avoid the recent sales downturn experienced by McDonald's and Starbucks. Sports fans don't favor the latter two for their game day smorgasboards, the network found, and Wingstop has kept its prices relatively low while McDonald's customers have been ravaged by the Hamburglar's inflation-jacked price hikes.

It's interesting that Rock Grove also has a Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins store, as those brands are also in BWW parent company Inspire Brands' portfolio. That might have played a role in the development scoring another popular brand. Buffalo Wild Wings GO will be next to Qdoba Mexican Eats at the property. Construction on the Rock Grove location is expected to begin early this fall, so we might expect a winter opening. Just in time for the Super Bowl!

Photo 1 & 3 courtesy Inspire Brands

Larry Hogan is the "un-Trump Republican," his 1st Maryland U.S. Senate TV ad of fall declares

"Never Backs Down" isn't the most original slogan to be employed by former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in his current campaign for U.S. Senate, as Ron DeSantis would likely agree. But Hogan's first TV spot for the fall campaign season does manage to come up with a more unique qualifier for an anti-Trump candidate like himself: "The un-Trump Republican." It's not all that new or original, either (the ad cites The Washington Post, and the phrase has been employed by outlets as diverse as Al Jazeera and The New York Times, among others), but is far less often invoked than "Never-Trump Republican." The latter term has failed to convert many mega-MAGA "irredeemables" back to the Bush Republican fold so far.

Using the phrase makes clear that voters in Hillary Clinton's fabled basket of deplorables are not the target audience for this ad. The spot plays up examples of "Hogan's radically normal model for the GOP," such as blocking tax increases every year he was the executive of Maryland, lowering tolls on state bridges, and leaving a large budget surplus for his successor Wes Moore. Major challenges Hogan faced while in office are also highlighted, ranging from the pandemic and Baltimore riots that followed the death of Freddy Gray, to his own personal cancer diagnosis and recovery.

"Now more than ever, we need strong independent leadership in Washington who will never back down to the extremes and the party bosses," Hogan tweeted in introducing the ad Tuesday. "That’s exactly what I did as your Governor, and that is exactly what I will do in the United States Senate." 

Hogan's Democratic opponent, Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, has already begun an ad blitz worthy of the deep-pocketed primary opponent she vanquished earlier this year. Prior to his defeat, David Trone was an inescapable presence not only on TV screens, but in his relentless, un-skippable YouTube ads. Alsobrooks' ad focuses on her central message to juice turnout in a majority-Democrat state: that the winner of the Alsobrooks-Hogan contest may determine which party controls the U.S. Senate this coming January.

Is Best Buy planning an exit in Gaithersburg?

Is Best Buy's future at 15750 Shady Grove Road at the 270 Center in doubt? It sure looks like it from an online listing for the 270 Center. The big box store's "big box" is available for lease, according to the KLNB listing. Whoever the lucky next tenant is will be able to move into the 46,155-square-foot space on February 1, 2025. 

Best Buy announced on a corporate earnings call that it planned to close 10 to 15 stores in 2025. This one on the border of Rockville and Gaithersburg now appears to be one of them. Rockville has a venerable Best Buy store located at 1200 Rockville Pike. Living in the 90s!

Drag Story Hour returns to Montgomery County Public Libraries this Saturday

Drag Story Hour is returning to Montgomery County Public Libraries this Saturday, September 7, 2024 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Marilyn J. Praisner Library at 14910 Old Columbia Pike in Burtonsville. According to the official Montgomery County Public Libraries event announcement, the story hour is for an audience of "preschool and kindergarten, elementary school age, babies and toddlers." MCPL states that the event is "appropriate for all ages, especially for children ages 18 months to 10 years with their families."

"Story hour just got a lot more glamorous!" the MCPL event description says. "Drag Story Hour (DSH) is just what it sounds like! Storytellers using the art of drag to read books to kids in libraries, schools, and bookstores. DSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models." MCPL tags the event as one that facilitates the goal of "Kindergarten Readiness."

The events have not been without controversy, reflecting a nationwide political divide on the issue. Montgomery County police, as well as volunteer citizen groups like Parasol Patrol and Rainbow Defense Coalition, have deployed to separate attendees from protesters at past story hours.