Padel Social applies for liquor license in Bethesda

Padel Social has applied for a liquor license from Montgomery County. The padel sports, training and event facility is expected to open before summer at 5455 Westbard Avenue in Bethesda. Capitalizing on one of the world's fastest-growing sports, Padel Social enjoyed a successful initial run on the other side of Westbard Avenue at Westbard Square. Their liquor license hearing is scheduled for May 7, 2026 at 12:00 PM.

Super Bowl Sunday goes all day at Pike El Diamante in Bethesda

If you want to stretch out your Super Bowl celebration all day and into the late night, but don't want to do any shopping, hosting, or cooking, Pike El Diamante at 4906 St. Elmo Avenue in Bethesda has just the itinerary for you. Start the day with a Super Bowl Brunch from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. At 3:00 PM, you're invited to their Super Bowl Day Party, with live music by Unique Minds Band until 7:00 PM. You'll be well-positioned for the big game itself Sunday evening, with appetizer and drink specials. See the full list of prices below:

Padel Social announces permanent Westbard location in Bethesda

Padel Social, which operated a temporary, pop-up padel facility at Westbard Square in Bethesda last year, has revealed the location of its permanent location. Surprisingly, it is remaining at the Westbard Square site, and the new courts will be just steps away from their pop-up location, at 5455 Westbard Avenue. The temporary spot was a tremendous success, underscoring the tennis-squash hybrid as one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. Padel Social's permanent facility will open by late spring.

Westbard Square adds new mural, padel pop-up court in Bethesda (Photos)

There are two new additions to Westbard Square in Bethesda this weekend, as the new development at 5400 Westbard Avenue holds an official Grand Opening event from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM today and Sunday. One is a mural painted onto the side of the Giant building above the loading docks. It features what appears to be a streetcar. Is this predictive programming for the not-so-secretly-planned extension of the Purple Line to Westbard? Or is it just a random image? Well, let's consider a third theory, that could make property owner Regency Centers look pretty smart, making another effort - as with the quarry stone facades at the development - to draw on local history and aesthetics.

The mural could be referring to the original 1891 streetcar that ran from Wisconsin Avenue in Friendship Heights, down roughly along the route of present-day Willard Avenue, through Green Acres, across what is now Little Falls Parkway and the parallel Willett Branch stream, up what is today Massachusetts Avenue extended - passing what is now Westbard Avenue and Little Falls Library, onto Walhonding Road (you can see remnants of the sharp angles established by the streetcar to the left of the Parkway crossing, and on the divergence of Walhonding from Massachusetts behind the Glen Echo Volunteer Fire Department firehouse), and down to MacArthur Boulevard. 

Once down the steep Walhonding drop to what is now MacArthur, passengers would disembark from the streetcar, and be taken to the Glen Echo Chautauqua by horse-drawn carriage. The Chautauqua was the forerunner of the Glen Echo Park amusement park that would be built later. This earlier streetcar is not to be confused with the more-famous Washington, D.C. to Glen Echo Park trolley line that operated during the mid-20th-century through Georgetown, the Palisades, and Brookmont. The original 1891 streetcar line was developed by the Baltzley brothers, who lived in the landmark Baltzley Castle they constructed at 5415 Mohican Road in Mohican Hills.

If that's not enough educational material for a Saturday morning, get ready to learn the Mexican sport of padel. It conquered Spain in reverse, and is now one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. Padel Social has just erected a pop-up padel court at Westbard Square. The company will operate three courts there through this fall. It is also in the process of constructing a permanent padel facility "nearby." You can learn the basics here, and starting next month, you can book a time at the pop-up courts. There will be private lessons, clinics, and equipment rentals.

New Balance "coming soon" to Bethesda Row

New Balance has posted "coming soon" signage in the storefront of its future location at 7029 Arlington Road at Bethesda Row. The signage also confirms that the athletic shoe retailer will also be incorporating the adjacent storefront into its space. New Balance arrives as the Washington, D.C. area dares to dream of the Washington Wizards finally getting the No. 1 pick that they deserve in the NBA draft this summer. 

Cooper Flagg, considered by most observers as the player likely to be chosen first, is a New Balance endorser. Flagg is not yet able to sport his own signature New Balance shoe on the court, however, due to rules requiring players to use the shoes of the brands that hold contracts with their institution. Duke's current partnership is with Nike, not New Balance. That means his New Balance deal is limited to apparel until his collegiate career ends.

Washington Capitals pop-up event March 19 at Bethesda Row

Get ready to drop the [winter] gloves at Bethesda Row on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, as the Washington Capitals and the Federal Realty property host a "Shop for the Cause with Caps Care" pop-up event. From 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM on Bethesda Lane, attendees can enjoy a festive atmosphere complete with music by DJ Chris Styles, a meet and greet with Capitals alumnus and TV NHL analyst Alan May and Monumental Sports Network host Alexa Landestoy from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM, and a photo opportunity with Capitals mascot Slapshot.

Alexa Landestoy

The afternoon will also feature a sweepstakes for Capitals tickets, prize giveaways, and the unveiling of an original mural by artist Hiba Alyawer. Adding a unique touch, Lucy Blossoms will create a special Capitals hockey display just for this event.

Alan May

Beyond the entertainment, the event will also serve as a fundraiser for the Capitals’ Capital Impact Fund, which aims to increase access to hockey by reducing financial obstacles. From 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, select Bethesda Row stores will donate 10% of their sales to the fund.

Avocet Tower lights up with Washington Commanders colors ahead of NFC title game

The Washington Commanders will face the Philadelphia Eagles in a challenging but eminently-winnable National Football Conference Championship game this afternoon at 3:00 PM. Avocet Tower at 7373 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda was "ahead of the game" last night, when it made its best effort to ape Washington's burgundy-and-gold colors. The accent lighting can be customized within a limited color palette, and has been tweaked to do everything from celebrating Christmas, to showing solidarity with Ukraine. One question remains ahead of today's coin toss: Is Avocet Tower visible from Dan Snyder's yacht?

New Balance opening store at Bethesda Row

New Balance will open a store at Bethesda Row in 2025. It will be located between Uncle Julio's and Custom Ink on Arlington Road. Some New Balance products have been available from existing retailers at the Federal Realty property, but this 2,142-square-foot store will now offer a full line of shoes and active wear. It will also give some competition to the neighboring Nike store.

Sports merchandise kiosk opens at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Hello, sports fans! A new kiosk has opened just for you at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. It carries a variety of merchandise and decor for professional and college teams. But the selection is not limited to local teams. In fact, rivals outnumber the Washington Commanders in some of the NFL displays. Kind of like in the stands at Northwest Stadium! 

Look for the kiosk on Level 1 in the Old Navy/The Cheesecake Factory wing of the mall, near Häagen-Dazs - - and be sure to wear your Bob Knight "game face."

Monumental Sports Network to broadcast Old Glory DC pro rugby matches for 2024 season

Monumental Sports Network has reached an agreement to broadcast 13 of Old Glory DC's Major League Rugby matches during the 2024 season. Old Glory DC plays its home games here in Montgomery County, at the Maryland Soccerplex in Germantown. The season and broadcast schedule will begin with Old Glory DC's road opener against the New Orleans NOLA Gold this coming Saturday, March 2 at 4:00 PM EST. The games streamed by Monumental Sports Network can be watched through your Pay TV subscription on cable TV, on monumentalsportsnetwork.com, or by downloading the Monumental streaming app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV, and using an "eligible TV Everywhere log-in."

"Monumental Sports Network is the ideal partner to carry Old Glory and bring all the action, intensity and elegance of professional rugby to the entire Greater Washington Region," Old Glory DC Chairman Chris Dunlavey said in a statement Wednesday. "Rugby is the greatest team sport in the world, and Monumental is bringing it to your living room."

“We are thrilled to welcome Old Glory to the Monumental Sports Network family,” Monumental Sports Network VP of Content & Programming Caitlin Mangum said. “We are happy to bolster our live programming lineup and offer D.C.-area sports fans the chance to enjoy this exciting and quickly growing sport.”

The schedule for Old Glory DC matches on Monumental Sports Network will be as follows:

Saturday, March 2 at NOLA Gold at 4pm

Saturday, March 9 at New England Free Jacks at 2pm

Saturday, March 16 vs. Chicago Hounds at 4pm

Saturday, March 23 vs. San Diego Legion at 4pm

Saturday, March 30 at Charlotte Rugby at 6pm

Saturday, April 6 vs. RFC Los Angeles at 5pm

Saturday, April 20 vs. Houston Sabercats at 5pm

Saturday, May 11 at Chicago Hounds at 6pm

Friday, May 24 at Seattle Seawolves at 10:30pm

Saturday, June 1 vs. Charlotte Rugby at 7pm

Saturday, June 8 vs. New England Free Jacks at 7pm

Saturday, June 22 at Miami Sharks at 7:30pm

Saturday, June 29 vs. NOLA Gold at 7pm

Old Glory DC pro rugby team to host open training session for fans today in Germantown

Professional rugby arrives at the Maryland Soccerplex at 18031 Central Park Drive in Germantown today, February 24, 2024. Old Glory DC, a Major League Rugby team, will host an open training session from 1:00 to 3:00 PM this afternoon. In addition to a preview of the team in action, fans can meet the coaches and players after the session ends. Team ambassadors will provide "Rugby 101" explanations and provide real-time match analysis, and food and beverages (including adult beverages) will be available for sale from vendors on-site. Admission to the event is free.

Old Glory DC's new head coach is Simon Cross. This season's roster features stars from 11 countries around the world, including Team Captain Jamason Faanana-Schultz (AUS), DC native Jack Iscaro (USA) Rob Harley (GBR) of the Glasgow Warriors, Damien Hoyland (GBR) of the Edinburgh Rugby Club, Axel Muller (ARG), and Perry Humphreys (GBR). 

The team's season will begin March 2, 2024 with a road game against the New Orleans NOLA Gold. Old Glory DC's home opener at the Soccerplex will be on March 16, when the club hosts the Chicago Hounds. Single match and season tickets can be purchased during today's event, or online.

Orangetheory Fitness Bethesda is fit for the Super Bowl (Photos)

Orangetheory Fitness Bethesda at 7955 Woodmont Avenue is ready for Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, February 11, 2024. Their lobby is decorated with a pigskin tablecloth, honeycomb paper footballs and an inflatable goalpost. A cardboard running back thunders across a tabletop toward the end zone. Of course, barring a shocking incident of another sort, this Sunday's game will be remembered as the Taylor Swift Super Bowl. Sure enough, the disembodied cardboard heads of Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift and a cat grace the window of the gym. 

106.7 The Fan vs. The Team 980 live at Bethesda Theatre on February 2, 2024

A special event at the historic Bethesda Theatre at 7719 Wisconsin Avenue this Friday night, February 2, 2024 will feature on-air personalities from two of Washington, D.C.'s top sports radio stations, 106.7 FM The Fan and 980 AM The Team. The event begins at 8:00 PM Friday, and the doors open at 6:30 PM for dinner.

An event announcement promises "a night of sports debate, laughs, and behind-the-scenes stories! It's 106.7 The Fan vs. Team 980 LIVE! What will the Commanders do in free agency? Who will they select with the #2 overall draft pick? How soon before they're actually good again? Plus, they'll preview the Super Bowl matchup and debate who will win. It's all off-air, on-stage, and uncensored! Featuring the Sports Junkies, Grant and Danny, BMitch and Finlay, Kevin Sheehan, Chris Russell, Craig Hoffman, and more!"

Tickets are available online. 

Bethesda's JBG Smith biggest winner in D.C.'s potential loss of Capitals, Wizards

The Montgomery County Council and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore may have been asleep at the switch during the tug-of-war over the future home of the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals, but a company in their jurisdiction may pull off the biggest win in the teams' potential move to Virginia. Bethesda's JBG Smith is the landowner of the proposed Potomac Yard arena and mixed-use development sites in Alexandria. If the teams relocate as envisioned by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and team owner Ted Leonsis, the real estate development firm will stand to be ultimate victor from a business standpoint. Those potential big profits might still benefit the county and state revenue coffers in Maryland, even if the gaudy bragging rights to the actual teams will accrue to Virginia. 

Successful relocation of the teams to Potomac Yard, and the related development, dovetail perfectly with JBG Smith's existing plans and vision for the National Landing area. The firm will be able to sell the proposed sites to a Virginia sports development authority, and would be the developer of the corporate Monumental Sports Entertainment headquarters, arena, media studio, performing arts venue, and e-sports facility proposed as part of the overall plan. And the sports-related growth at Potomac Yards would boost the earning potential for JBG Smith's other National Landing properties, of which Amazon's HQ2 is the crown jewel.

Of course, HQ2's ultimate benefit to Northern Virginia remains to be seen, as Amazon has not been exempt from the work-from-home revolution and other stresses on its businesses. How many jobs and how many square feet of office space Amazon will eventually need at National Landing is up in the air at this point. How much Virginia taxpayers will shell out for a billionaire to move his sports teams is also not set in stone today. But the additional development opportunities the move would provide could not have come at a better time for JBG Smith.

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is in the unenviable position of not only possibly losing two of the city's professional sports teams at once, but of having had to make a desperate bid of $500,000,000 at the 11th hour that doesn't appear to have persuaded Leonsis to stay. Such a two-team exit is a potential nightmare for Moore in Maryland, as he tries to keep the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Orioles in the state. His cringeworthy pitch to the Commanders in a VIP suite in "Raljon," as recounted by The Washington Post, did not reflect the bargaining prowess his Wall Street resume would lead us to believe he would have. Moore's inabililty to find immediate success in attracting major companies to Maryland over the past 11 months, despite a Rolodex filled with celebrity and Fortune 500 friends, has raised eyebrows among those closely watching Maryland's economic development efforts.

The fact that Moore was not in the conversation regarding the Wizards and Capitals, when the firm at the center of the intrigue is in his own state, is unlikely to reduce those whispered doubts in the business community. But the silver lining in this case is that JBG Smith - and Montgomery County and Maryland, if they actually get their share of the firm's increased revenue - will likely gain financially, even if Virginia ends up overpaying for the teams, as the company will still profit regardless. Virginia's elected officials could look like suckers a decade from now, but the real winner would still be at 4747 Bethesda Avenue.

Pickleball now offered at Onelife Fitness in Bethesda

Pickleball is now offered at Onelife Fitness at 4400 Montgomery Avenue in downtown Bethesda. There are 11 courts now useable for pickleball, 8 outdoors and 3 inside. Pickleball courts can be reserved in advance. You do not have to be a member of the facility to play pickleball; non-members can pay a $7.50 fee. Onelife is currently only offering pickleball at its Bethesda and McLean locations.

Nazlymov Fencing moving into new Bethesda space (Photos)

En garde! Nazlymov Fencing is moving into its new home at 7747 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda. That building has previously had the honor of housing the legendary Jewelry Exchange of Bethesda. The interior is being set up for training and competitive duels. Lockers have been installed, and awards and trophies are already on display. Will yours be the next to join them? A grand opening has been scheduled for March 31, 2023. A few classes here, and you, too, can say, "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya..."

Bethesda natives off to a winning start for Harvard, Navy women's lacrosse teams

Two Bethesda natives are in the news as the college women's lacrosse season gets underway this month. Stephanie Hong has been named a captain of her team at Harvard, an honor she also held at Bethesda's Holton-Arms School in 2019. An Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Association Academic Honor Roll selection, Hong became a starter for Harvard last season, scoring her first goal in her first game as a starter.

Closer to home, Navy goalkeeper Emma Richardell has played two complete games for the Midshipmen. A graduate of Walter Johnson High School, she has already exceeded her ground ball total from last year in this young 2023 season. Richardell has a history of excelling early, being named lacrosse team MVP in her freshman year at WJ.

Photos courtesy Harvard University Athletics/Navy Athletics

Nazlymov Fencing opening in downtown Bethesda

Nazlymov Fencing is moving to 7747 Old Georgetown Road in downtown Bethesda. That is the former Jewelry Exchange space. Nazlymov has been holding temporary classes at Westmoreland Congregational Church of Christ in Bethesda; in addition to classes here, they will hold a Spring Break Camp and Summer Camp. The school says it plans to open the new location on March 1, 2023. En garde!

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School gear now available at CVS Pharmacy (Photos)

Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School "spirit wear" is now available at CVS Pharmacy at 7809 Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. B-CC Barons shirts, hats, and other gear are being sold. According to the sign, a portion of the proceeds from the sales will be donated to the school. 

PGA Tour Superstore sets grand opening date in North Bethesda

The new PGA Tour Superstore at 5100 Nicholson Lane at White Flint Plaza finally has a tee-off date. Your big box golf store adventure will begin on Saturday, July 30, 2022 with a grand opening weekend celebration. There will be $30,000 in golf and tennis giveaways at the store. The PGA Tour Superstore will fill the void left by the closure of the nearby Golf Galaxy, which closed in 2018.

Photo courtesy PGA Tour Superstore