The grocery gods have smiled upon Rockville Pike as Wegmans officially opens its 80,000-square-foot temple to culinary abundance today, completing the Twinbrook Quarter development with 400 new jobs and the kind of prepared foods section that makes Whole Foods look quaint. Store manager Jamie Dominick, a two-decade Wegmans veteran who cut his teeth in Rochester, promises everything from sushi bars to "hot bowls" alongside the grocer's legendary cheese selection, plus 90 minutes of free parking across two underground levels. Following Trader Joe's June 12 debut in Rockville Town Square (briefly delayed by a power outage, naturally), this marks the second grocery opening this month, suggesting our community's relationship with food has officially reached peak sophistication.

Max's Best Ice Cream opened yesterday in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle, where Cory Alexander and his 19-year-old son Max are serving Delaware's Vanderwende's Creamery ice cream for the first time in the D.C. area alongside "extreme" milkshakes that would make a theme park jealous. The menu features creations like the "Over the Rainbow" birthday cake milkshake topped with rainbow cake and spiral lollipops, plus boozy options including the Island Turtle shake with coconut rum and chocolate liqueur. In a heartwarming twist that would make Anthony Kennedy Shriver (who grew up in Montgomery County) proud, the shop partners with Best Buddies International to provide meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, proving that the sweetest treats often come with the most thoughtful purposes.

Song Dog Farm Distillery is preparing to uncork this late summer in Boyds, where D.C. transplants Megan Draheim and David Harris are transforming 29 acres of Agricultural Reserve farmland into Montgomery County's newest farm-to-bottle operation. The conservation ecologist-turned-distiller duo will craft bourbon, rye, gin, vodka, and seasonal liqueurs using grains grown on-site and from neighboring farms, creating what they call an immersive experience in "both the magic of distillation and the beauty of agriculture." After pandemic delays pushed their 2020 launch plans to 2025, the family-friendly facility at 18100 Bucklodge Road will welcome dogs, food trucks, live music, and educational tours alongside their tasting room.

Pajama Storytime. 6:30-7pm @ Potomac Library
The Library's evening Pajama Storytime continues its charming tradition of making literary appreciation a pre-bedtime affair, with 25-30 minute programs designed for children of all ages (though tickets are required and distributed starting at 6 p.m. on event days). 📖

Getting Started with AI: Intro for the Real World. 1-3pm @ Potomac Library
Victor Rezmovic promises to demystify artificial intelligence using the delightfully relatable analogy of "having Einstein in your basement," turning what could be another tedious tech lecture into something approaching practical wisdom for adults who've been pretending to understand what ChatGPT actually does. 🧑‍💻

Teen Park After Dark. 6-7pm @ Meadowside Nature Center
Teenagers get the rare opportunity to roam nature trails after sunset, complete with campfire hot dogs and group-decided adventures that might include spooky cabin stories or moonlit wildlife listening—essentially summer camp nostalgia with modern parental supervision logistics. 🏞

LGBTQ+ Crafting Night. 7-8:30pm @ Meadowside Nature Center
Montgomery Parks celebrates Pride month with an evening that combines ethical foraging, queer ecology facts, and hands-on crafting at Meadowside Nature Center, proving that environmental consciousness and creative expression make natural companions on a Friday night. 🎨

Parks Playhouse Jr. - The Puppet Co. 10-11am @ Cabin John Regional Park
The Puppet Co. brings their marionette magic back to Cabin John with a classic retelling of Peter and the Wolf, offering families a mid-morning cultural interlude that combines live performance with the simple pleasure of blanket picnicking under open skies. 🐺

Butterfly Release. 10:30-11:00am @ Potomac Library
The Potomac Village Garden Club transforms the library grounds into a living canvas as families gather to release butterflies into the summer blooms, creating one of those Instagram-worthy moments that actually serves a genuine environmental purpose. 🦋

Kidcreate Studio Grand Opening. 11am-2pm @ Kidcreate Studio Rockville
Come celebrate the Rockville location grand opening with an open house for ages 18 months to 12 years, giving families a fun place to create more fridge-worthy masterpieces. 🖼

Drag Brunch Pride Extravaganza. 12-3pm @ Clear Skies Meadery
A Pride Month drag brunch featuring the "Bed by Ten" divas who are decidedly "Up at Noon," complete with Beltway Bistro food truck fare and complimentary mead-mosas for a mere $5 ticket that promises sparkle, sass, and weekend revelry. 🍹

Ch/Art Summer Magic Exhibition Opening Reception. 4-6pm @ Chevy Chase Village Center
Chevy Chase's nonprofit Ch/Art opens its "Summer Magic" members' exhibition June 28th with 52 works from 31 local artists, running until July 27. 🎨

Gaithersburg’s SummerFest. 6-11pm @ Bohrer Park
Gaithersburg's free SummerFest celebration explodes this Saturday featuring the elite party band INFUSION, local craft breweries including Waredaca and Saint's Row, plus 500-foot fireworks. 🎆

Bachata y más. 7:30pm-midnight @ Glen Echo Park
The monthly dance series continues lessons starting at 7:30 p.m. followed by social dancing until midnight, where the Dominican Republic's most sensual export meets our community's insatiable appetite for authentic cultural experiences that don't require a boarding pass. 👯

Summer Celebration. 11am-1pm @ Cabin John Village
Foam parties, live music, and flower seedling planting to create some fun, wholesome chaos - complete with Fire Station #33 on hand, presumably to hose down both the foam and overexcited toddlers. 🥳

Twinbrook Quarter Family Fun Day. 11am-2pm @ Twinbrook Quarter Central Park
Fun for the whole family featuring The Peruvian Brothers, complete with free empanadas, face painting and an alpaca petting zoo right where the new Wegmans stands. 🦙

Montage 2025: Drama Duo Performance. 4-6:30pm @ Bender JCC of Rockville
The Tagore Music Group presents an evening of sophisticated theatrical entertainment featuring Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's romantic ghost story "The Hungry Stones" in English alongside a Bengali comedy with English supertitles, offering cultural enrichment that requires no prior knowledge of Bengali literature. 👻

From Columbia Country Club's early June celebration to the democratic chaos of the National Mall's 700,000-person spectacle, our comprehensive Fourth of July guide navigates every fireworks option within driving distance. Whether you prefer Poolesville's family-friendly timing or Congressional Country Club's exclusive Independence Day gravitas, we've mapped the logistics, parking strategies, and insider alternatives that separate magical summer memories from traffic nightmares. Read the Guide here.