Bethesda Fine Arts Festival 2026

The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival has returned to the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood of downtown Bethesda for 2026. Featured are the works of over 120 national artists, in a variety of mediums. There is also live music, and food is available from several vendors on-site. Admission is free. The festival is winding down for today, but there is another whole day tomorrow, Sunday, May 10 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore visits Max's Best Ice Cream in Bethesda

Maryland Governor Wes Moore was in Montgomery County Thursday for a Purple Line ceremony, but made time for an extended visit to Max's Best Ice Cream at 7770 Woodmont Avenue in downtown Bethesda. He presented the ice cream parlor with a Governor's Citation recognizing the work the business is doing, in conjunction with Best Buddies and the Walt Whitman High School Learning for Independence program, to provide employment opportunities for members of the community with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Moore also joined the staff to learn a thing or two himself about how the treats are made in the kitchen at Max's.

The staff had a final surprise for the governor, when they presented him with the limited-edition Give Me Moore Old Bay Sundae. With the iconic Tastee Diner in the background, Moore handed out spoons so the staff could share in the enjoyment of his namesake dessert. The sundae features a warm, house-made brownie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, Old Bay caramel sauce, Old Bay-coated honey roasted peanuts, Fisher's (of course!) Old Bay Caramel Popcorn, whipped cream, and a handmade chocolate crab.

Photos courtesy Max's Best Ice Cream 

Cubano's pauses alcohol sales in Bethesda

Cubano's at 4907 Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda has temporarily paused liquor sales. The restaurant is applying for a new liquor license from Montgomery County. Until it is successful in obtaining one, no beer, wine, or alcoholic cocktails can be served. Cubano's previously held a Class B liquor license from the County. It's unclear how the restaurant lost that license.

Francesca's closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Francesca's has permanently closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. They had one of the longest closing sales I've seen outside of some of those rug shops. Then again, the demise of the fashion boutique chain was also a long one. Francesca's filed for bankruptcy over five years ago. Westfield is probably not losing sleep over this closure, as it has recently agreed to leases with a number of tenants that would be considered an upgrade from Francesca's.

Johnnie-O opens at Bethesda Row (Photos)

Johnnie-O is now open at 7243 Woodmont Avenue at Bethesda Row. The "West Coast Prep" apparel boutique carries the label's signature golf shirts, and casual performance wear for men, women, and children. This is the first Johnnie-O location in the state of Maryland. Operating hours are 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday through Saturday, and 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Sundays.

HEYTEA "coming soon" to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Eight months after I first reported that HEYTEA was looking into opening its second Montgomery County location at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, the chain has posted coming-soon signage at its future space on Level 1. It will be in the former Luggage Plus space, between L'Occitane en Provence and Vydration. Where is Luggage Plus? It has moved upstairs in the same wing, to a space right outside of Macy's Home.

Now, you may be saying, do we need another tea shop in Montgomery County, or even at the mall? Yes, you do, because HEYTEA is one of the most innovative and popular tea chains in the world. When they opened their first Maryland location in Rockville, the line was out the door.

What is the secret of HEYTEA's success? In 2012, in a small alleyway called Jiangbianli in Jiangmen, China, its young founder invented cheese tea, the product that would become the company's signature beverage. The brand's other signature is its worldwide popularity on social media, stimulated by the company's effort in creating Instagram-ready store interiors and packaging, and drinks that have as much appeal to the camera eye as to the taste buds. 

Car stolen from apartment building in Bethesda

Montgomery County police are investigating the theft of a vehicle from an apartment building in the Pooks Hill area of Bethesda. The vehicle was stolen from the parking lot of Pooks Hill Tower & Court at 3 Pooks Hill Road. Police believe it was stolen sometime between 9:15 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2026 and 9:00 AM yesterday morning. A description of the stolen vehicle was not released.

Carnival returns to Montgomery Mall in Bethesda through May 10

A carnival with an anti-drug message for children has returned to the parking lot at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. L.E.A.D Fest, an initiative produced by the organization Law Enforcement Against Drugs, will be at the mall tonight through Sunday May 10, 2026. A parent or guardian must accompany children under 18, some rides require a parent to also ride along, only clear bags will be allowed into the carnival area, and no face coverings are allowed, unless required for a medical reason. 

Tickets can be purchased online. It's intriguing to have an anti-drug event in a county and state whose leadership are strongly pro-drug. Worth contemplating, is why your elected officials want you to be zonked out on mind-altering drugs. Just say no!

The Cinema movie theater building cleared out in Friendship Heights (Photos)

The building that was long home to The Cinema at 5100 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Friendship Heights has been cleared out. Like some other shuttered movie theaters, it was eventually converted into a gym - Crunch Fitness, in this case. A one giant-for-the-time screen theater, it could seat 800 moviegoers. It was known for its 70mm projector from the 1980s onward, and for being a theater where you might turn your head during a Tom Clancy thriller to see a United States Senator or national security potentate pumping his fist during a particularly patriotic moment. You might have also spotted, or even been interviewed by, a TV personality from WTTG Fox 5, which used to be right across the street.

Beyond the high-profile clientele, the theater's architecture combined space-age utilitarianism with attention-grabbing Googie neon signage. Passing through the ownership of several chains since its opening in 1965, the Cinema's anodyne name functioned much like Bar in Ocean City: mention you were going to The Cinema, and everybody in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and Northwest Washington knew exactly which theater you were referring to.

Among the highlights of the theater's four-decade operation was being one of only a couple dozen movie houses in the U.S. and Canada to show The Exorcist upon its opening date of December 26, 1973. You can imagine the hysteria of this exclusive engagement at The Cinema, with the Washington setting only topped by the outlandish spectacle delivered by the movie itself. Local newspaper reporters were all-too-eager to file colorful reports of Cinema patrons collapsing, vomiting, or simply fleeing the auditorium with what was left of their sanity intact. 

Later, beginning with the release of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, The Cinema would draw cinephiles from far and wide to experience the adventures of Indiana Jones and Jack Ryan in 70mm grandeur. With the building now empty, isn't it time for one of our few remaining local billionaires to step in and restore the movie magic to 5100 Wisconsin Avenue NW? The Cinema was a true remnant of a golden age when there were neighborhood movie houses, ones we still remember from Damascus to Twinbrook to Spring Valley to Georgetown Square to - yes - Friendship Heights.

Shiki Fusion now open at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Shiki Fusion is now open at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Asian fusion restaurants are experiencing a revival in Bethesda, or maybe they just never went out of style. We just got a Chinese-Thai fusion gastropub in Six Ways to Sunday. Now here is a Japanese-Thai menu at Shiki Fusion. 

The restaurant is celebrating the opening by offering a complimentary appetizer or dessert to all dine-in customers through May 14, 2026. Look for Shiki Fusion on Level 3 of the mall, right across from the entrance to the AMC Montgomery 16 cineplex. Just take the escalator up from the Dining Terrace food court. You can't miss the Trumpian gold letters on the side, with an arrow pointing the way up. Even the Montgomery County Council would be able to find it!