The Good Week | August 6, 2026

Whether you want to tap into your creative side, get moving, or spend more time outside, this issue offers plenty of ways to make the most of the week around Bethesda, Potomac, Rockville, and nearby.

Take advantage of these late-summer days with a community run, an after-dark treetop adventure, or Glen Echo Park’s final Art Walk of the season. Indulge your curiosity with a new exhibition, a dance class, a poetry open mic, or a closer look at local food history. However you choose to spend it, consider this your invitation to step outside your usual routine and experience a little more of what’s happening close to home.

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Explore richly colored woodblock prints and oil paintings by Cuban artist Dairan Fernández de la Fuente, whose work blends Art Deco-inspired imagery with stories of migration, memory, separation, and everyday life in Cuba.

Working from Havana’s Taller de Gráfica Experimental, de la Fuente uses traditional tools and techniques associated with Cuba’s late-19th-century cigar-label makers. His bold, poster-like compositions draw on the island’s visual history while reflecting themes of displacement, nostalgia, resilience, and longing.
👉 Learn more about Dairan Fernández de la Fuente at Amy Kaslow Gallery

Nearly 20 local artists come together for Gallery 209’s latest group exhibition, opening with an evening reception and artists on hand throughout the gallery.

Other studios and exhibitions across Artists & Makers Studios will also be open, including work by Pamela Joy Trow, Francis Maduka Udah, and WCADC members. The Gallery 209 exhibition runs August 6–26,
👉 Learn more about the Gallery 209 exhibition

Olney Outdoors is back with a late-summer lineup spanning classic rock, Motown, musical theater, jazz, drag, and singer-songwriter favorites.

Start with the free Summerfest open house on August 9, or choose a performance that fits your mood, from a night of Carly Simon and James Taylor songs to full-scale tributes to David Bowie, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, and the Grateful Dead. Performances take place across the outdoor Root Family Stage and the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab.
👉 Explore the full Olney Outdoors lineup

For singer-songwriter nostalgia
Lab Lounge: Songs of Carly Simon & James Taylor
August 13–16 | $50–$65
A celebration of the songs, collaboration, and complicated legacy of one of the singer-songwriter era’s best-known couples.

For a theatrical spectacle
Space Oddity: The Ultimate David Bowie Experience
Friday, August 28 | $55
A costumed, multimedia tribute tracing Bowie’s music, reinvention, and unmistakable stage presence.

For a full-on singalong
Almost Queen
Saturday, September 5 | $50
A high-energy Queen tribute with four-part harmonies, detailed costumes, and the band’s biggest hits.

For Fleetwood Mac fans
TUSK: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute
Thursday, September 10 | $50
Hear Fleetwood Mac favorites and deeper cuts performed by a touring tribute band that has played together for more than a decade.

For Deadheads and the Dead-curious
Better Off Dead
Saturday, September 12 | $45
Close out the series with a Grateful Dead tribute show built around a different set and experience each night.

Get an advance look at Round House Theatre’s upcoming production of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom during a special Inside Look event.

Usually reserved for Round House donors, the intimate program will open to 50 members of the public as part of the theater’s 50th-anniversary “50 for 50” celebration. Hear from the director, cast, and designers about the creative decisions and design elements shaping the production before it reaches the stage.

Submit the interest form by 11:59 pm on Monday, August 10. If requests exceed availability, 50 attendees will be selected through a random drawing and notified August 11. Free
👉 Enter the drawing for the Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Inside Look

No polo experience required. Gather a few friends, pull out a favorite hat, and make an afternoon of Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland’s 7th Annual Polo Classic.

The day includes two polo matches, the traditional divot stomp, local vendors, and contests for Best Hat, Best Dressed, and Best Tailgate. Derby-inspired attire is encouraged but optional.

Gates open at 1 pm. Proceeds support Habitat’s work in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
👉 Get tickets for the Habitat for Humanity Polo Classic

Food experiences, tastings, and classes that make the week revolve around something delicious

Look at local history through the recipes, cookbooks, and food traditions that shaped Montgomery County.

Authors Claudia Kousoulas and Ellen Letourneau will share stories from A Culinary History of Montgomery County, MD, tracing how people here have grown, sold, prepared, and served food over time. The talk and slide presentation will focus on cookbooks written a generation apart by Elizabeth Ellicott Lea and Maria Brooke Watkins, revealing what their recipes tell us about daily life and culture in their eras.

Admission includes food. Tickets go on sale August 10. $20
👉 Get tickets for Foodie Fridays: History in the Kitchen

Hands-on classes and social activities where you can learn something new or step a little outside your comfort zone.

Step into the world of Wicked during an 11-week jazz and musical theater dance series built around a medley from the show.

The class is offered by MOM-entum, a local nonprofit dance troupe created by and for moms. No previous dance experience is needed, and the group is designed to be a welcoming, supportive place to move, have fun, and connect with other women who love dance.

Participants can join after the series begins. The monthly membership includes unlimited classes. $35 per month.
👉 Sign up for the Wicked Jazz and Musical Theater class

Spend the evening creating a neon-inspired painting during a guided Paint & Sip.

No painting experience is needed, and all paints and canvases are included. The event will not take place under black light, but your finished piece is designed to glow under one afterward. Your ticket also includes one beer, wine, cider, or cocktail. $39
👉 Get tickets for the Neon Paint & Sip

Thinking about trying a mahjong tournament but feeling unsure about the rules, pace, or pressure? This three-hour workshop is designed to help you arrive prepared rather than panicked.

You’ll learn how tournament play differs from a casual game, including scoring, seat rotations, timing, etiquette, and what it means to be called “dead.” The class will also cover how to avoid common mistakes, stay calm under the clock, and feel more confident at the table. A light lunch is included. $60
👉 Register for Crak • Bam • Tournament Prep!

Spend the afternoon with local poets, writers, and neighbors at Beyond the Page’s Open Mic at the Library.

Blackout poetry materials will be available beginning at 2:30 pm for anyone who wants to get creative, followed by an open mic at 3 pm featuring local poet Nina Lior. Come to read, listen, or simply enjoy an afternoon centered on poetry and community. No registration is required, though RSVPs are appreciated. Free
👉 RSVP for Open Mic at the Library

Move your body, get outside, and stay active this week.

Meet fellow runners for a feel-good group run led by lululemon Ambassador Michael Snape of The St. James Performance Club.

All levels are welcome, whether you run regularly or are just getting started. Afterward, stick around to recharge with Playa Bowls and a few lululemon-themed surprises. Free
👉 Reserve a spot for the lululemon Run Club

Trade the usual night out for an adults-only evening of climbing and ziplining through the forest.

Keep It Lit opens the aerial adventure park to the 18+ crowd, with colorful lights throughout the trees and music playing as you make your way across the courses. Each reservation includes an orientation followed by two hours of climbing and ziplining, making it a fun way to get a group together and try something different. $52 plus taxes and fees
👉 Book Keep It Lit at The Adventure Park

The Montgomery Parks Fall 2026 Program Guide is out, with plenty of ways to get outside, learn something new, or add a little variety to your week.

Morning Tweets and Tea at Locust Grove Nature Center in Bethesda offers a relaxed introduction to birding, with binoculars available to borrow and tea included. Choose September 4, October 2, or November 6. Free

Midday Reset Yoga at Kensington Cabin Local Park pairs gentle movement with yoga nidra, a guided relaxation practice. The four-week Monday series begins September 28. $40

McCrillis Gardens Fall Tour explores a tucked-away Bethesda garden filled with autumn color, fall-blooming camellias, and unusual trees and shrubs. Choose October 28 or November 2. $12

Roots to Rocks Group Mountain Bike Ride at Cabin John Regional Park is a social, “party pace” ride with skills instruction along the way. A limited number of bikes and helmets are available to borrow. September 24. Free

Registration opens August 10 at 6:30 am, and smaller programs may fill quickly.
👉 Explore the Montgomery Parks Fall 2026 Program Guide

Earlier picks still ahead — and still worth catching.

🎶 Botanero: Music Bingo Night — Thu, Aug. 6, 6–9 pm — Test your knowledge of ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s R&B, pop, and hip-hop during three rounds of music bingo.

👻 Wonderland Books: Sarah Pekkanen Book Launch — Thu, Aug. 6, 7–8 pm — Celebrate the release of The Women in White, Pekkanen’s new thriller blending a decades-old disappearance with paranormal intrigue.

🛶 Lake Needwood: Introduction to Kayaking — Sat, Aug. 8, 10 am–12 pm — Learn paddling basics before practicing your new skills on Lake Needwood.

🧵 Capital Quilts: Quilts of Valor — Mon, Aug. 10, 2–5 pm — Help sew a handmade quilt honoring a military service member or veteran.

🧘 Lake Needwood: Sunset Yoga — Monday evenings through Aug. 10, 7–8 pm — Join a free, beginner-friendly yoga class beside the lake.

🌿 7 Locks Brewing: Bonsai Bar — Tue, Aug. 11, 6:30 pm — Pot and trim a dwarf jade bonsai while learning how to care for it.

🎃 Glassworks Studio: DIY Pumpkin Workshop — Sun, Sept. 6, 9 am–12 pm — Create a pair of blown-glass pumpkins while learning introductory glassblowing techniques.

📚 DabbleLab: Plot Twisted — Thu, Sept. 10, 6–8 pm — Discuss Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke while making a story-inspired craft.

🎶 Strathmore: UB40 — Wed, Sept. 30, 8 pm — Hear “Red Red Wine,” “Food for Thought,” and other hits as UB40 brings its Unstoppable Tour to Strathmore.

If you stop by any of this week’s spots, let them know you heard about it in The Good Week.

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See you next week.

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