Rockville Things to Do

The Courthouse in downtown Rockville was originally built to replace previous court/administrative buildings. We call it the Red Brick Courthouse for obvious reasons. Throughout most of its history it served as Montgomery County's local government center. The present courthouse was built it 1891.

It should be noted that Montgomery County at that time was still very rural. Rockville only had a population of about 400. Roads were mostly dirt and the train passed through here on the way to Washington.

With the building of the Gray Courthouse (right next to it) in 1931 the Red Brick Courthouse started to fade in importance as gradually its court functions were taken away. Plans to demolish the building were met with protest from residents, so it remains. Today it still has a court though much of it is ceremonial.

This years' celebrations will be held May 25-27 at Rockville Town Center.

There will be up to 30 free concerts of different stages. The concerts are usually pretty good, we have had some good bands play over the years. On the final day, the main concert is always really good.

Enjoy it while you can, this may be the last time this is held at this location. With the new buildings going up in Rockville Town Center this event will likely be moved. Sad, all you had to do was go to Rockville Metro and cross the street. They haven't really announced where events will be held in the future, but I doubt this festival will be going away.

For a somewhat smaller city, its impressive that Rockville puts on such a good show.

On July 4 they used to have a great festival in what is now Rockville Town Center.
You had your typical fair type entertainment but once the sun fell we had some fantastic bands
(the Neville Brothers played here, Kansas did too (without Kerry L.)

Now the celebration is held on the grounds of Montgomery College- Rockville.

Metro- Rockville or Shady Grove (red line)
You can take bus 55 which will drop you right at the front of the campus.
a. bus 55 (Transit Center) from Rockville Metro Station
b. Bus 55 (Rockville) from Shady Grove metro or points northward

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I still remember that day. We were informed that there had been an attack but none of us quite believed it at first. The thing was, a lot of us in this area know people that work in the Pentagon,(a personal friend of mine did) and the frantic phone calls to check on them.

On September 11, 2003 a memorial was unveiled to remember 11 Rockville residents who lost their lives in the attacks. It is a simple, quiet memorial. Interestingly, most of the empty chairs have sayings rather than names.

Located in the small park (more of a green space really) behind the Red Brick Courthouse in Rockville Town center.

The second phase fo the downtown makeover is now open - very pedestrian friendly, plenty of garage parking, and lots of public art. Ok, the restaurants and shops are a bit pricey, but that doesn't seem to be stopping the folks hanging out in the plaza in front of the new library building.

The county is in the process of building a major music center in Rockville, which is set to open in early 2005 with scheduled performances from artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Eileen Ivers, Natalie MacMaster & more (these are just the ones I have heard of...)
Just another sign that Rockville is growing & thriving...

The Glenview Mansion, often referred to as simply "The Mansion" in Rockville, has an art gallery upstairs and hosts concerts and other events. The first Sunday of every month from 1-4 PM is the reception for that month's art exhibit, and there is usually some sort of free concert downstairs. The art is nice, usually by local artists, and there are free refreshments too!

Every Thursday night, at least 100 people, old and young, Israeli and American, really all kinds of people - gather to dance at Tikvat Israel synagogue in Rockville. Israeli dancing consists of circle, couples, and line dances, which are choreographed not only to Hebrew music but also to Arabic, Turkish, Greek, Spanish, etc... There's plenty of space, refreshments, it's a great atmosphere in general and it's my favorite Israeli dance session I've ever been to. It might be intimidating for a beginner, but come early (7:30? I have to double check) and the teacher, Moshe Shem-Tov, teaches a few dances step by step. By 9 the place is packed with all the energetic "regulars" and it's a lot of fun to watch, even if you decide to sit out for a few dances.