Cooler temperatures are setting in, fall is here, and the MV Farmers’ Market is getting ready to close up shop on another successful season.

For the next five weeks, residents can still enjoy farm fresh goods and produce from the regular vendors, as well as a few last visits from Cove Point Winery (Saturday, Oct. 10), Great Shoals Winery (Saturdays, Oct. 10 and Oct. 17) and Elk Run Vineyards (Saturday, Oct. 31).

There’s still plenty of produce, meats, cheeses, breads, plants, juice, desserts and more to be had from any of the 19 market vendors. This was the fifth season the market was open and it has seen the most growth and influx of new vendors. With a weekly attendance of over 500 visitors, the MV Farmers’ Market is certainly the place to be on Saturday mornings.

This season we added several new vendors, expanding the selection of great local products. In addition to fresh selections from market regulars like Tony Fetters Fruit Farm, Abundant Grace Farm, Canela Bakery, Diaz Berries & Veggies, Rights OF Man farm, the JK Farm and Valencia’s Produce, specialty items including ice cream, nuts, honey, sauces, cheese, sandwiches and baked goods have been added from Allen’s Apiary, Barley Field Orchard, Master Freeman’s, Holy Crepes Food Truck, Killdeer Valley Cookies, Only Nuts, Rock Hill Orchard and Sugar and Salt.

If you have comments or suggestions, please let us know. You can call 240-243-2367, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit online at either www.mvfarmersmarket.com or www.facebook.com/MV.Farmers.Market.

The MV Farmers’ Market is located in the Christ the Servant Lutheran Church Parking Lot, 9801 Centerway Road, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The last day for the 2015 market is Saturday, Oct. 31; join us to help close out another great season of fresh farm goods.

Montgomery Village Avenue is the dam for Lake Whetstone and contains an internal drainage system to collect and filter seepage. Seepage occurs in all dams. Modern earth embankment dams, like the Lake Whetstone Dam, are designed with internal drainage features to collect seepage passing through the dam. Uncontrolled or unfiltered seepage creates dam instability and concern for dam health and function. Therefore, assurance of the proper performance of the dam internal seepage collection system, including its toe drain, is critical for the stability of the dam.

Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) conducts routine inspections to Lake Whetstone and the dam. Recent inspection has found Lake Whetstone’s toe drain pipe has corrosion. DEP has retained Gannett Fleming, Inc. to evaluate the Lake Whetstone Dam internal seepage collection system. This evaluation is the first phase of the toe drain repair project.

The evaluation work includes:
•    Drilling of soil borings
•    Installation of monitoring instrumentation in the dam, and
•    Pressure washing and video inspection of the internal metal drain pipes.

Drilling on the crest and slopes of the Lake Whetstone Dam will start soon, pending approval of the Maryland Department of Environmental. Field work is scheduled to begin at the end of the month and will take place between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. Work will be completed in about four weeks. One lane of Montgomery Village Avenue will be closed during drilling equipment unloading and setup time on the crest of the dam, to provide sufficient space and a safe working environment. Lane closure will only be 3 to 5 days during the working period and won’t be full work hours of each day.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (DOT) approved the Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) plan designed by Gannett Fleming, Inc. to control traffic in the road during the lane closure.

Montgomery County is hosting a community meeting to discuss concerns regarding the Montgomery County Airpark. The meeting is scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4 in the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Training Room, 16641 Crabbs Branch Way, Rockville.

This will be the first of three community meetings concerning the airpark. The purpose of the meeting is: to distribute FAQs related to the Gaithersburg Airpark (safety concerns, noise, flight patterns, low flying aircraft over residential communities and touch-and-go flight operations), the December 2014 accident and the airpark practices and policies, and to allow the community the opportunity to express their concerns. This meeting is not intended to release any results of the Nation Transportation Safety Board report related to the December 2014 accident.

This meeting will be televised on the county cable network and the speakers will have 3 minutes per speaker to pose their question or express their concern. Speakers will be asked to sign up to speak upon entering the facility. There will be a cut off and a waiting list to permit allocation of time. The remaining people will be given index cards to submit questions that will be considered along with the recorded spoken questions.

Members of the county council and staff from the county executive’s office plan to attend the meeting.

by Mike Conroy
Once again on an early fall Saturday, pumpkins and people descended on North Creek Community Center to participate in the area’s most creative fall festival, the Montgomery Village Great Pumpkin Race. Colorful decoration, tense racing action, plenty of family fun and pumpkin-themed everything, set to the tunes of local band 45 RPM, was the backdrop again this year on October 10. Families gathered with pumpkin racers in hand to enjoy the annual Fall Festival and try their luck at taking home the coveted Pumpkin Racer Trophy.

In a straight out dash for the finish line of the final heat, with no crashes, pushing or pumpkin lockup, were Ayane Fernandez’s “Owl,” Alivia Allen’s “Cat,” Homegrown Homeschool’s Racer and the Ahlman Family’s “Gordo II.” The four group winners had beaten out many crowd favorites during the afternoon, and ultimately it was Gordo II who edged out the competition for the win.

Gordo II didn’t waste time with decorations, opting instead for a streamlined and aerodynamic approach, which paid off in the end, proving it’s not all about the disguise. Plenty of pumpkins, though were in costume, including more cheaters than ever before.
Hundreds of residents and community neighbors were in attendance at the sixth annual Great Pumpkin Race and Fall Festival, held on October 10, enjoying the rides, games and food. It was clear from the number of test runs, pumpkin garage visits and fantastically decorated pumpkins, that competition for this year’s medals and trophy were on everyone’s mind once again.

Before the races started, festival-goers had an opportunity to visit with local business and organizations, preview or purchase artwork from the Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association, play carnival games, ride the rides and participate in pumpkin-themed crafts. The test track and racer garage were encompassed in a flurry of activity to the last minute.

Earlier in the day, judges sampled pumpkin pies and other baked goods prepared for the Pie and Treat competition. Katie Hunter’s Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread and Alexandrine Froger’s Pumpkin Pie won medals in the 16 and older category, Tyler and Lauren Shuttles’ Cheescake Filled Pumpkin Roll and Pumpkin Patch Biscuits each took a medal in the 15 and under category.

Once the test track was closed and the tools were holstered in the pumpkin garage, racing excitement began with the community leader exhibition match kicking things off. Senator Nancy King’s pumpkin, a green snail, was anything but slow, but not fast enough to beat MVF Board member Linda Moore, MVF Board President John Driscoll, or EVP Dave Humpton. But it was Watkins Mill High School Principal Carol Goddard who reclaimed the VIP title, after a devastating loss last year to former Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz.

Following the VIP opening race, racers lined up for elimination heat after heat for the next hour, pitting siblings, friends, neighbors and strangers against each other. Amid a plethora of finely decorated, rule-abiding pumpkins were a fair number of cheaters, who, once identified, were at the mercy of the crowd and the referee. It didn’t take much crowd convincing to have those whose pumpkins bent the rules eliminated from competition via the referee’s mallet.

Several chants of “Smash it! Smash it!” were heard before the final thud of the mallet sent pumpkin seeds flying across the race track to loud cheers from the crowd. Cheaters included MVF EVP Dave Humpton’s “Piggy Bank;” several gourds in the likes of animals; a soccer ball cupcake; hollowed out pumpkins; a basket of popcorn; a papaya-turned-butterfly; and an Angry Bird watermelon, among others. All cheaters were pummeled on site and banned from the race...will they be back next year?

MVF would like to thank our generous sponsors of and participants in the event, including: 45 RPM; All-Day Medical Care Clinic; Bloom Montgomery Village; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; Divine Landscaping; Georgetown Hill; Gutter Helmet Systems; Kicks Karate; Kitchen Saver/HBC Home Solutions LLC; Ledo Pizza; Liberty Mutual – Rockville; Montgomery County 6th District Police and Officer Scott Zimmerman; Montgomery Village Animal Hospital; MTA/Corridor Cities Transitway; Presidential Heating and Air Conditioning; Renewal by Andersen of Maryland; Ross Bryant; Tabitha Harvey, Marky Kay Consultant; The Gaithersburg Fine Arts Association; TW Perry; Urban Bar-B-Que; Watkins Mill High School; and Window Nation for their support of the event.

Next year’s Great Pumpkin Race and Fall Festival is sure to bring even more competition and excitement—keep your wheels, or find new ones, and start planning your racer now! The 2016 Great Pumpkin Race and Fall Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15—see you then!