Potomac Loop

March 2, 2026

🚰 243 Million Gallons of Explaining to Do

Good morning, Potomacker!

UMD's free backyard gardening Zoom series starts this month, finally giving us the scientific vocabulary to justify spending $400 on a single Japanese maple.

In today's Potomac Loop,

- Key details from DC Water's Public Meeting on the Potomac sewage spill

- Spring hikes return to Seneca Creek

- International Reggae and World Music Award Winners 'Sons of Mystro' perform at Parilla Performing Arts Center

Let's Loop.

🗞️ The Local Lowdown

🚰 243 million gallons later, DC Water faces the neighborhood.

Photo: Delegate Teresa Woorman @teresa_woorman

DC Water held a community meeting at Walt Whitman High School last Thursday night to address the Potomac Interceptor collapse that sent raw sewage into the river for weeks starting January 19.

The short version of what they communicated: drinking water was never affected, e. coli levels are dropping at most testing sites, emergency pipe repair should wrap by mid-March, and Montgomery County ratepayers are on the hook for about 31% of the cost while DC Water pays zero.

In case you weren't part of the packed house, we listened to the full two-and-a-half hours so you don't have to.

Read our complete breakdown

🏃 Wilson breaks another national record. Quincy Wilson clocked a 60.22 in the indoor 500m at the University of Pennsylvania last Friday, shattering the U.S. high school national record. Read the full story [Sports Illustrated ]

🦅 Spring hikes and nature programs return to Seneca Creek. Seneca Creek State Park's March lineup includes weekly Monday hikes, a C&O Canal bald eagle nest watch, a maple syrup demo, and nature crafts for all ages. See the March calendar

🌱 Free backyard gardening Zoom series starts this month. The University of Maryland Extension is running six free Tuesday noon Zoom sessions this spring, from intro gardening on March 10 to beekeeping on May 19. See the lineup and register

🛡️ County wants to hear your consumer horror stories. The county's Office of Consumer Protection holds a forum this Thursday, March 5, at Rockville Memorial Library to hear from residents about scams, unfair contracts, and shady business practices. Get the forum details

♻️ MoCo wants your take on the incinerator. Montgomery County is weighing whether to shut down its Dickerson trash incinerator, and three open houses this week (including a virtual session Thursday, March 5) are your chance to weigh in before fees and policy shift. Register for the virtual session

✏️ Girl Power Contest is open for all ages. Montgomery County's annual contest invites residents ages five and older to submit a short story, poem, drawing, or other creative work celebrating women's impact for Women's History Month. See the entry details

Monday Morning, Coffee First

The rest of inbox can wait.

Dulce Crepes in Park Potomac pulls Illy espresso that's worth leaving the house for, even on a Monday.

The seat is comfortable, the cappuccino is properly made, and if a warm crepe shows up next to it, that's just good sense.

Neighbors who came for the crepes keep coming back for the coffee.

See the full menu at Dulce Crepes in Park Potomac

*This section is sponsored by a friend of the Loop

🗓️ The Social Calendar

Support the Loop by mentioning it when you attend.

Mon · Mar 2

Mahjong Open Play

1:30pm · Cogir of Potomac

Cogir of Potomac Senior Living hosts a drop-in mahjong session every two weeks, open to all Montgomery County players looking for a casual game. RSVP in link

Celebrate Spring Hike

4:30pm · Quail Ridge Picnic Area, Seneca Creek State Park

A volunteer ranger leads an easy loop hike to catch the earliest signs of the season, skunk cabbage blooms, spring peeper choruses, and mercifully zero bugs. Counts toward your Miles for Maryland tally.

Tue · Mar 3

55+ Yoga for Strength and Vitality

10am-11am · Tilden Woods Local Park

A twelve-session mat-based yoga series built for adults 55 and up, covering strength and flexibility with chair modifications available for varying fitness levels. Register in link

An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi

8pm · The Music Center at Strathmore

Celebrity chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi shares the culinary philosophy behind his vegetable-forward, globally influenced cooking. Tickets in link

Thu · Mar 5

Nature Families - Spring Session

10:30am-12pm · Locust Grove Nature Center

Locust Grove Nature Center runs this 10-week series pairing caregivers with toddlers ages 1-3 for outdoor hikes, storytime, and hands-on nature activities on moderate natural trails through mid-May. Register in link

Community Forum on Consumer Protection

10:30am-12pm · Rockville Memorial Library

The Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection hosts an interactive session where residents can ask questions, raise concerns, and learn their rights as consumers directly from local officials.

Solid Waste System Review Open House

6pm · Zoom

Montgomery County is gathering public input on the future of trash and recycling management through its Aiming for Zero Waste initiative, and this is your chance to weigh in from home. Language interpretation services are available upon request.

Pilobolus

8pm · The Music Center at Strathmore

Connecticut-based company Pilobolus performs their signature acrobatic modern dance, built on the idea that bodies in collaboration can do things no single body can. Tickets in link

Fri · Mar 6

Focus Pocus: Macrophotography

5-8pm · Artists & Makers Studios

Artists and Makers Studios turns 11 with a First Friday celebration showcasing Rick Ruggles' smartphone macrophotography of rust, botanicals, and street textures alongside mini-solo showings from Patricia de Poel Wilberg and Francis Maduka Uduh, work from 19 member artists, and a free prize drawing for $200 in A&M Bucks and a Chocolate Lovers Dream Basket.

TEACH GIVE INSPIRE Fridays: The Ripple Effect

9:30am-12pm · TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm

This women's speaker series marks International Women's Day with three thought leaders, Dr. Sousan Abadian, Ami Becker Aronson, and Mikel Blair, covering healing, philanthropy, and intentional living over a seated brunch. Tickets in link

Full Moon Fridays

6:30pm-8pm · Locust Grove Nature Center

Locust Grove Nature Center leads a guided hike along natural surface trails under the full moon, followed by a campfire where marshmallows are provided and you can roast your own hotdogs. Bring hotdogs to roast.

👉 See every Potomac event on our full calendar 👈

Built by Potomac Small-Business Owners

Jesse and Carrie have lived in the Potomac and Rockville area for over 20 years. Their kids went to Potomac Elementary and graduated from Wootton.

Before opening Fit Club, they spent 14 years building Cheer Extreme DMV from a 14-girl program into the area’s largest, with 500+ athletes across three locations.

That background in coaching shows: every session at Fit Club is one-on-one, the equipment is chosen for safety and joint health, and the approach is personal.

It’s the kind of place where they know your name by visit two.

Book your complimentary session

*This section is sponsored by a friend of the Loop

🎷 Live & Local-ish Music

Mon

Wolf's Every Monday Blues Show & Sit-In Jam
Hank Dietle's · 7pm

Irish Inn Mates
The Irish Inn · 7pm

Tue

Dan Hovey
Hank Dietle's · 5:30pm

Brother Bill Quintet
Hank Dietle's · 8pm

Wed

Billy James Herrington
Windridge Vineyards · 5pm