State cup
July 9
Brewers, vintners and distillers from across the state will showcase their products at the Maryland Beer, Wine, & Spirits Festival. Attendees can sample the libations, all made by Maryland producers. The event also features live music, an artisans market and food trucks. Admission includes sampling, but nondrinkers can get a designated driver pass for a discounted rate.
Noon to 5 p.m.; $15 designated driver pass, $45 general admission (entry at 1 p.m.), $60 VIP pass (entry at noon); Montgomery County Fairgrounds, Gaithersburg, growandfortify.com
Let’s dance
July 21, Aug. 4, Sept. 15
There are three chances left to Salsa in the Park, Montgomery Parks’ monthly outdoor salsa night, which kicked off in April. The event series, which runs through September, features a live Latin music performance, salsa dance lessons, and food and beverages for sale by local vendors at a different park each month. The July event takes place at Waring Station Local Park in Germantown, August’s event is at Wheaton Forest Local Park in Wheaton, and September’s event is at Long Branch-Arliss Neighborhood Park in Silver Spring.
5-8 p.m., free, various locations, montgomeryparks.org/event-team/salsa-in-the-park
Saturday night fever
July 23
Put on your boogie shoes, pack a picnic and head to Strathmore’s Bloom at Good Hope: 70s Hits concert, featuring singer Cecily. Backed by a full band, the D.C.-based vocalist promises a high energy, deeply emotional performance of her favorite songs from the 1970s, including dance floor classics, socially conscious hits, and singer/songwriter gems. Chairs, blankets and food are welcome, but alcohol and pets are not allowed. RSVP online.
5 p.m., free/pay-what-you-can, Good Hope Neighborhood Recreation Center, Silver Spring, strathmore.org
Seeing stars
Aug. 3-24
The city of Rockville presents four family-friendly films for its summer outdoor movie series, each at a different park, each week throughout August. See The Parent Trap (the 1998 version staring Lindsay Lohan) at Courthouse Square Park on Aug. 3, The Boss Baby at Montrose Park on Aug. 10, The Secret Life of Pets at Potomac Woods Park on Aug. 17, and Shrek at Calvin Park on Aug. 24. Bring a picnic and chairs or a blanket, but no alcohol.
Movies begin at dusk (about 8 p.m.), free, various locations, Rockville, rockvillemd.gov
Fair fanfare
Aug. 12-20
The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair is known and loved for its farm animals, craft competition, demolition derbies, carnival rides and outrageous foods. This year, the fair welcomes some fresh attractions, including a Cycle Circus, which features bike and motorcycle stunts and acrobatics, and a lumberjack show with log rolling, ax throwing and chopping competitions. You’ll also find live musical performances, magic shows and various vehicle races.
3 p.m. to midnight Aug. 12; 10 a.m. to midnight Aug. 13 and 19-20; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aug. 14-18; $12 in advance, $15 at the gate, free for children 11 and younger, additional cost for rides and some attractions; Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds, Gaithersburg, mcagfair.com
It’s a sign
Through July 24
With smashing reviews and box office sales, the Broadway revival of The Music Man, starring Hugh Jackman, has been credited with energizing New York’s theater scene this year. Locally, Olney Theatre Center is putting a new spin on the musical comedy with a production that features a cast equally comprised of members who are Deaf and members who can hear. The show stars Deaf actor James Caverly (of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building) as con man “Professor” Harold Hill, who comes to River City with a scheme to sell musical instruments and uniforms to the town’s youths and train them to start a band, but then take off with their money without ever giving them lessons. Olney’s production reimagines the play, incorporating American Sign Language into the dialogue, songs and choreography.
$37-$85, Mainstage, Olney Theatre Center, olneytheatre.org
Math problems
Through Aug. 21
Lots of kids—and adults, too—will identify with Fantastagirl, the main character of Adventure Theatre’s new musical Fantastagirl and the Math Monster. The second grade superhero is a whiz at reading but not so confident with her math skills. When she’s confronted with a math test, the Math Monster rears its head, and so does Fantastagirl’s anxiety. But when she tries to use words and grammar to solve problems faced by her friends and family, she finds she needs math to save the day. Written by local playwrights Tori Boutin and Madeline Belknap, the show features songs inspired by 1980s glam rock and synth pop, as well as 1990s hip-hop.
$25, Adventure Theatre, Glen Echo, adventuretheatre-mtc.org
This story appears in the July/August 2022 issue of Bethesda Magazine.