🌱 Patch AM: Biotech Company Planning First U.S. Facility In Montgomery County

Greetings Rockville! Your go-to source for what's happening in town is here. Stay in the loop and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Samsung Biologics picks Rockville for first U.S. manufacturing hub
• Why Luna Hall suddenly walked away from its Rockville Pike Center plans
• What the new Rockville history center will bring to downtown

Also on today's calendar: McLean School Open House (Kindergarten-Grade 4) and 8 more events.

Today's riddle: I got fired from the M&M factory. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Saturday: Mainly cloudy, with a high of 35 and low of 26 degrees.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny and breezy, temps: high: 38, low: 21.
• Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 34 and low of 29 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Biotech Company Planning First U.S. Facility In Montgomery County (patch.com) — Rockville is set to gain a major boost as Samsung Biologics opens its first U.S. manufacturing facility at the former GSK site, retaining more than 500 jobs and promising new opportunities. State and county leaders say the Rockville project will expand drug manufacturing capacity, strengthen Maryland’s life sciences hub, and deepen global economic ties that directly benefit the local workforce.
   

2. Luna Hall Scraps Plans for Pike Center Location in Rockville (mocoshow.com) — Luna Hall has canceled its planned food hall at Pike Center on Rockville Pike, leaving the large former CiCi’s Pizza space back on the leasing market. The change comes as the shopping center’s owner pursues a major mixed-use redevelopment that could transform the aging strip center and its big surface parking lot into a denser, pedestrian-friendly community.
   

3. Montgomery 250 will celebrate county's history in 2026 (thebanner.com) — Rockville will host the new Montgomery County History Center at 4 Courthouse Square, opening September 6 as the centerpiece of the county’s 250th birthday celebration. Expect a year of exhibits, lectures, new research on underrepresented communities, and oral history projects that invite Rockville and county residents to share their stories.
   

4. Every USGA championship venue in 2026: Shinnecock, Riviera on the docket (usatoday.com) — Rockville’s Woodmont Country Club will again host the U.S. Adaptive Open in July 2026, bringing a national championship for golfers with disabilities back to the city. It’s part of a packed USGA schedule that also includes major events at Shinnecock Hills, Riviera, Merion, and other top courses nationwide throughout the 2026 season.
   

5. Rockville's Robin London Works to Empower Women (washingtonjewishweek.com) — Rockville resident Robin London is using her retirement to support local teens and women, from teaching healthy dating classes in Montgomery County Public Schools to serving on Jewish Women International’s board. She draws on her family’s Holocaust history and deep involvement in the DC-area Jewish community to advocate for survivors of domestic violence and promote gender-based violence prevention.
   

📸 Around Rockville

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Rockville

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Saturday January 10

• McLean School Open House (Kindergarten-Grade 4)
  McLean School-Falls Road Campus (Lower School), 11810 Falls Rd, Potomac
  9:00 am
• McLean School Open House (Grades 5-12)
  McLean School-Lochinver Lane Campus (Middle & Upper School), 8224 Lochinver Ln, Potomac
  1:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Friday January 2

• Ty Braddock and The Loyal Inmates
  Hank Dietle's Tavern , 11010 Rockville Pike , Rockville
  9:00 pm

Saturday January 3

• Vision Board Party
  Hammer & Stain Rockville , 107B Gibbs St , Rockville
  4:00 pm
• Guy Bouchie and the Heart Fixers
  Hank Dietle's Tavern , 11010 Rockville Pike , Rockville
  9:00 pm

Sunday January 4

• Cathy Ponton King Band
  Hank Dietle's Tavern , 11010 Rockville Pike , Rockville
  2:00 pm

Monday January 5

• Wolf's Every Monday Blues Show & Sit-In Jam
  Hank Dietle's Tavern , 11010 Rockville Pike , Rockville
  7:00 pm

Tuesday January 6

• Dan Hovey
  Hank Dietle's Tavern , 11010 Rockville Pike , Rockville
  5:30 pm
• Brother Bill Quintet
  Hank Dietle's Tavern , 11010 Rockville Pike , Rockville
  8:00 pm

Wednesday January 7

• Sally Baby's Silver Dollars
  Hank Dietle's Tavern , 11010 Rockville Pike , Rockville
  8:00 pm

Thursday January 8

• Glenview Mansion & Peerless Rockville Speaker Series
  Glenview Mansion , 603 Edmonston Drive , Rockville
  7:00 pm

📣 Rockville Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

Tuesday January 6

• Basketball - Boys JV Walter Johnson at Quince Orchard 5:30 pm
  Walter Johnson High School Bethesda, MD 20814
  5:30 pm
• Basketball - Girls JV Quince Orchard at Walter Johnson 5:30 pm
  Walter Johnson High School Bethesda, MD 20814
  5:30 pm
• Basketball - Girls Varsity Quince Orchard at Walter Johnson 7:15 pm
  Walter Johnson High School Bethesda, MD 20814
  7:15 pm
• Basketball - Boys Varsity Walter Johnson at Quince Orchard 7:15 pm
  Walter Johnson High School Bethesda, MD 20814
  7:15 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Rockville PatchAM possible:

• The Preston of Rockville — (240) 872-0517
  Premier Senior Living Near King Farm
• Mindsee.it — (646) 663-8317
  Teach your kids they can achieve the impossible!
• Learningspanishdc — (301) 318-6302
  Spanish
• V's Healing Touch Massage
  Massage Therapy assists the body in healing
• Am Kolel Jewish Renewal Community of Greater Washington — (301) 770-4648
  Meeting the unmet needs of the community
• Summer At Sandy Spring — (301) 774-7455
  Your Kids Can Have An AWESOME FUN Summer!
• MidAtlantic Mold and Water Damage — (888) 412-5228
  Water Damage Restoration, Mold Testing and Remediation
• Dogtopia of White Flint — (475) 338-3501
  Dogtopia – Dog Daycare, Boarding, Spa & Wellness
• WaterHeatersNearMe — (301) 892-1466
  Water Heater Installation in Rockville, MD
• Ayham electric — (240) 408-8613
  Electrician
• Oasis Office Space — (240) 744-0141
  Rockville Limited Time Promo: Save 1 Months of Rent!
• EstateMAX — (301) 332-5585
  Move Management, Downsizing, Estate Sales, Property Cleanout

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Hi Neighbors.
  Happy New Year! Does anyone have a good recommendation for a garage door repair company. May actually need to be replaced. For what it's worth, I'm… (Nextdoor Derwood Gaithersburg)
• Does anyone know of a place that buys used washer and dryers?
  They are posted on FB marketplace currently. My units are only 2 years old but because of remodeling that’s being done, they will no longer fit, so I… (Nextdoor Twinbrook)

• City of Rockville MD posted a job opening for Camp Director- Youth and Teen Camps in Rockville. Apply here.
• i9 Sports Corporation posted a job opening for Sport Instructor Basketball in Rockville. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Rockville here.

Ok Rockville! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I kept throwing out all the W’s.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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